In My Dreams
by Dreaming June
Summary: The results of Reid's Ascension were far worse than he let on. As he faces problems with his addiction, he meets the new stepsister of a fellow Spenser student who's dealing with her own kind of addiction.
1. Where We Lay Our Scene

**A/N: This is my first Covenant fanfic. I haven't written anything in quite a while and have just gotten back in the swing of things, in terms of FF. I know this first chapter is a little dry, but it should heat up a little in the next.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Covenant, although Rachel and Josh are mine. The chapter title was (and others will be) borrowed from Romeo and Juliet. This entire fic has also been vaguely inspired by Kelly Clarkson's Addicted (it's all I listen to when I'm writing =P)**

**IN MY DREAMS**

CHAPTER ONE - WHERE WE LAY OUR SCENE

She'd dreamt of him again. After everything he'd done to her, after all she'd tried to put behind her, her subconscious just wouldn't let him go. Moving across the country should have helped. A new school, a new town, and a new set of problems to distract her. That would be sure to rid her of all those memories.

Rachel Lewis sat on the end of her bed, her legs crossed underneath her as she sifted through the papers in her hands. A class schedule and the school rules in her left hand, and a map of the school in her right. She hadn't even started her first day yet, and already the pressure was beginning to build.

When her mother had informed her they would be moving from California to Massachusetts, from their nice, middle class neighbourhood to a huge mansion in Ipswich, Rachel had several reservations in mind. What would the weather be like? When would she see her friends again? And was she expected to go to the same boarding school her stepbrother was enrolled in? Was her mother insane?

At eight-thirty in the morning in her practically empty dorm room, Rachel only had one reservation in mind: Spenser Academy was a private school. All her life, Rachel had made fun of private schools. They were all such snobby institutions, and definitely not something she ever thought she would have to consider.

"And look at me now," Rachel muttered at her reflection.

Dressed in only half the prescribed uniform, Rachel was wearing a dreary gray pleated skirt and a white blouse. Now Rachel had never been a superficial person, but she knew she looked awful. And she hadn't even touched the tie or the blazer yet. She was comforted only by the thought of ever other girl attending Spenser Academy having to wear the same clothes.

There were a couple upsides, though. One of them being that Rachel wouldn't have to suffer through living with her mother and her new husband. She would only have to see them during the holidays, and one some weekends. Spenser Academy had beautiful dorms, vast facilities and her stepfather was more than happy to foot the bill.

Rachel returned the papers to her desk and continued to dress herself. She'd shrugged on the thick navy vest and fiddled with the maroon striped tie until it looked right, when a knock sounded at her door. The junior opened it without thinking, temporarily thankful that she could go the next few minutes without having to even look at the school blazer spread out on her bed.

She knew only one person at Spenser, and she'd only met him once. Her new stepfather had introduced her to his son when Rachel and her mother arrived in Ipswich. She'd barely spoken to her stepbrother during dinner and doubted he was interested enough to knock on her door so early in the morning. He hadn't exactly been excited about gaining a little sister – he hadn't even gone to the wedding.

But there he stood, dressed in that silly Spenser uniform.

"Hi, _sis,_" the boy said, smiling a smile that looked forced by social norms that demanded politeness. He was extremely good looking. His sharp features and chin length hair reminded Rachel of the makings of a male model.

She smiled a sad smile back at Aaron Abbott. "Hey," she said glumly as she let him in.

From what she had garnered from their Saturday night dinner, Aaron was a normal teenage boy. He seemed interested in sports and cars, and he was extremely polite and pulled back in front of his father. In fact, he seemed almost afraid of him.

"Dad wanted me to come see you on your first day," Aaron said, sitting down at the desk chair. His movements were relaxes and casual, as if he himself were sleeping in the dorm. "Just to make sure you found your classes alright and everything." He'd softened up a little since the weekend. Although this task was forced on him, Aaron didn't seem like he hated it too much. But Rachel assumed he was just being nice. She didn't have that much faith in male teenagers.

Rachel nodded and all of a sudden her dormitory felt unfamiliar. She had a stranger in her room and every move she made felt under scrutiny. In clumsy, uncertain steps she moved past her stepbrother over to her dressing table and brushed her long black hair into a ponytail.

She glanced over her reflection a few seconds longer and suppressed a sigh. Rachel didn't exactly hate her looks, she'd had enough shady guys back in Riverside hit on her to realize that she wasn't completely dismissed by boys, but she was nothing compared to some of the girls she'd seen here. All seemed much more mature than her, with their hemmed skirts, professionally manicured nails and expensive make up. Rachel's own features were unmarred by glitter and red lipstick. Her lightly tanned skin was left untouched, her dark lashes straight and her green hazel eyes clean of colour or liner.

"These your papers?' Aaron asked, scanning Rachel's schedule. She nodded and turned in her chair to face him. "Room one-fourteen is on the first floor. It's down the hall from _my_ homeroom, so I can take you there." Rachel nodded again, hating that she couldn't think of a single thing to say.

As the two were about to leave the room, someone else appeared at the door. A pretty girl with curly red hair and lightly freckled cheeks stood there. The bored expression in her light eyes made Rachel extremely uncomfortable.

"Sorry I'm late," the redhead sighed. She ignored Rachel, looking only at Aaron.

He shook his head, dismissing the need for an apology. "Rachel, this is Kira Snider. Kira, this is Rachel Lewis."

It was only then that the redhead turned her attention to the other occupant in the room. "You're the stepsister." It wasn't a question. It was an observation, made with cool assessing eyes. _Oh, she was_ that_ kind of girl_.

From this smallest of interactions, Rachel couldn't help but dislike Kira already. She was everything Rachel despised about private school students. From the way she held herself, to the way she spoke down to Rachel with that bored, smug expression.

"Come on," Aaron said, and the three were off. It felt strange to walk the halls of Spenser Academy with Aaron and Kira. Back home, Rachel was used to being looked at by her fellow students. In California she had been relatively confident around boys and she was at the edge of the social scene, but she was nowhere near as popular as Aaron and Kira seemed.

Every few minutes someone would join their walk and chat to either Aaron or Kira, or both, before leaving for their homeroom. Others would glare at them as they walked past. But all ignored Rachel.

"Kira!" It wasn't the first time a boy called out that name, but it was the first time someone actually looked at Rachel. Kira sighed and rolled her eyes in a big show as the boy jogged to close the gap between them.

"What is it, Joshua?"

The boy, glancing from Kira to Rachel and back again, caught his breath. "Here." He seemed just as reluctant to interact with Kira as she was with him. He held out a set of keys. "Dad just got back from the mechanic. Your car is fixed, so you can stop using mine." He sounded annoyed as he spoke to Kira, but his eyes kept wandering back to Rachel with curiosity.

Kira snatched the keys and fished around in her pocket for a second set that she promptly returned to Joshua. She glanced from the boy to Rachel, and a smile that didn't seem so nice formed on her face. "Thanks so much, Josh." Her voice turned to honey. Kira glanced at Rachel again, this time in a deliberate manner, as if seeing her for the first time. "Oh Josh, this is Rachel Lewis. She's new here. You should show her around."

Before either Josh or Rachel could say a word, Kira clasped a hand around Aaron's arm and the two seniors were gone.

Josh smiled tentatively. He held out his hand. "Josh Snider. I'm Kira's brother." And Rachel saw the similarities now. They had the same pale skin, dotted with light freckles, and the same curly hair, though Josh's wasn't as ginger as his sister's. They even had the same large, light eyes.

"Rachel Lewis," she greeted in like, shaking his hand. "Aaron's stepsister."

A look of surprise crossed Josh's light eyes. The two continued down the hall together, but Rachel still caught his expression.

"What?"

"Nothing." He pressed his lips together, failing to hide his smile.

She raised her eyebrows, feeling like her old self again. Confident, slightly flirty Rachel. Not quiet, awkward Rachel. Josh smiled and glanced at her.

"Well, it's just that…Aaron isn't exactly the type to hang with girls he can't…be with."

Rachel let out a short laugh. _Oh, so Aaron was one of _those_ guys. Interesting._ Perhaps that was why he was only helping her because he had to. Rachel checked her class schedule again. "Do you know where room one-fourteen is?"

Joshua grinned. "Yeah. That's where my homeroom is, too. Just through there." He pointed to a turn in the corridor. Just as the two were about to entire room one-fourteen, a crash sounded from a doorway down the hallway. Rachel turned just in time to see her stepbrother getting up from the floor to step menacingly closer to a tall blond boy.

Everyone in the corridor gasped and looked over. Several people looked amused, anticipating a fight. Rachel watched curiously as the blond boy smirked at Aaron, but was pushed inside by a friend of his. Aaron dusted himself off and stepped into the classroom himself.

"Whoa," Rachel murmured, her wide eyes still glued to the doorway even though there was nothing more to be seen.

Josh snickered and shook his head. "His name is Reid Garwin. Aaron hates him."


	2. The Fearful Passage

**A/N: Thanks to those who are reading, and thank you to anonymous for your awesome compliments. Glad you're enjoying it =] I hope this chapter isn't too choppy/confusing. I've been running through the pacing and wording for hours. Please review, critiques/criticisms are welcome. If there's something you guys don't like, tell me and I'll try to avoid it in the future. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Covenant. Again, the chapter title is from Romeo and Juliet, and this whole story is being inspired by Kelly Clarkson's Addicted.  
**

**IN MY DREAMS**

CHAPTER TWO - THE FEARFUL PASSAGE

Rachel's first day at Spenser had been overwhelming. She was going to have trouble keeping up the school work that was for sure. She'd never had to deal with so much Biology, Literature and Trigonometry all at once. She had stayed behind after her last period to collect various notes and a quick review of what she'd missed for the semester.

"You might want to head over to the library after dinner," her history teacher said gruffly as he handed her a slip of paper. Rachel stuffed it into her skirt pocket without looking at it; she'd sort through all of that tonight. "A few seniors hold tutoring sessions in the library for History and Government. It would do you some good to use them as a means to catch up."

The junior nodded, gathered the sheets of paper from her teacher's desk and left in a hurry. The classrooms at Spenser were different from the classrooms back in California. Dark, lush and steeped with historical significance, the room made Rachel uncomfortable. Granted, there wasn't much at Spenser that _didn't_ make her a little uncomfortable.

"Rachel!"

She was halfway up the staircase when she heard her name being called out. Josh Snider was taking the steps two at a time to catch up with her. He was no longer wearing his school blazer and his tie was undone, hanging loose around his neck. Rachel much preferred him in this more casual appearance.

"Hey, Josh," she replied with a smile.

"How was your first day?"

--

It was happening tonight. _Tonight_. _Oh god._

Reid Garwin would never admit it to anyone, but he was nervous – nervous in a way that made him nauseous. He sat in his American history class, up on the back tier, next to his best friend. Tyler Simms was colouring the back page of his textbook with a neon green highlighter, having tuned out of their teacher's lecture within the first twenty minutes.

Reid saw Aaron Abbott and Kira Snider sitting a row below him, but at that moment he couldn't care less about their existence. There was movement from the front row and Reid's pale blue eyes shifted to catch the interruption. It was another friend.

Caleb Danvers' dark head turned and their eyes met. The look exchanged was almost empty. If any of the other students had caught it, they would have assumed Caleb was merely looking back to see if his friend was even there. But it was more than that. It was a look of understanding, of caution, and of concern. It didn't even last a second and Caleb's attention was returned to their teacher, who spoke of the Civil War.

Three months ago, Caleb had Ascended. Last month, it had been his best friend, Pogue Parry's turn. And now, tonight, Reid would join them.

A few months ago, Reid would have been eager to Ascend. It was something he'd been looking forward to since he'd turned thirteen. More power, more freedom to do whatever he wanted. But since seeing Caleb and Pogue carry the burden of their temptations, Reid's enthusiasm had waned considerably.

He was already wound tight from what he would have to deal with after tonight, and Aaron Abbott wasn't helping him any. Reid had been in a permanently bad mood for the past week, and just last weekend Abbott seemed to share his short temper. A pool game and a few short insults had led to a figh.

"And the Confederacy was made up of how many states?" the history teacher asked, turning to face Reid. "Mr Garwin?"

Tyler snapped his textbook shut and dropped his highlighter, his blue eyes wide and his posture straight. Reid smirked, shaking his head. He didn't know the answer. He hadn't been listening to the teacher, nor had he read the chapter that they had been set for homework the night before. School work was the last thing on his mind.

"Eleven." A voice, from the front row, had spoken.

The teacher glanced quickly at the boy sitting next to Caleb, and stared intently at Reid as he nodded. "Yes, Mr Parry. Eleven states." The middle aged man continued on with his speech and walked back around to stand behind his desk. Pogue Parry didn't even look back.

They weren't just friends, they were brothers. They were more of a family than most real families were, and it was things like this that made Reid thankful for that. Other times, having Caleb and Pogue always watching over his shoulder annoyed him to no end.

--

"The junior class helps organize it, and it's on every year in the middle of December," Josh explained. It was still a half hour before dinner was to be served, and he and Rachel were sitting on the grand staircase of the entrance hall. Apart from the two of them, the hall was empty.

So far, he was her only friend. Rachel found her opinion of private school students to be generally true. Most of the other kids that went to Spenser had been attending it since sixth grade, and their groups and friendships had been formed. Only a few of Josh's friends spoke to her, the others were too busy studying for their midterms.

"And attendance is compulsory?" Rachel asked. During homeroom that day, an announcement had been made, calling on any juniors who were interested in selling tickets for the Winter Formal.

"No," Josh shook his head. "But most people go. It's pretty good."

Rachel nodded. She wondered how a Spenser dance would differ from the ones she'd been to back home. Her public school held their socials in their auditorium, and they had been fun but not glamorous. A dance put on by a private school was sure to be glamorous.

The sound of a door bursting open reached their ears. Rachel turned around and, though the railings, saw the door that led to the lower common rooms close behind four senior boys. She frowned, watching curiously at they moved swiftly towards the front doors, speaking in hushed tones.

From where they sat, Rachel and Josh were invisible, but she could make out the features of that same blond boy who had pushed Aaron to the ground on her first day. Reid Garwin?

Josh moved to stand up, to leave the entrance hall and make their presence known. Rachel grabbed his knee and motioned him to stay still and silent. If Aaron hated Reid so much, maybe it would do Rachel some good to see what this guy was really like.

"I'm going by myself!" Reid hissed, turning to face the other three boys while walking backwards for the door. His expression betrayed anger and an almost playful humour.

"No, Reid. We're going with you." The boy who spoke matched Reid's volume, but his voice remained calm and level. His short, dark hair was spiked up and Rachel couldn't help but think he looked so good natured. Did Aaron hate him too?

"Yeah, man." This third boy had similarly dark hair, but that wasn't what Rachel noticed about him. It was his eyes; eyes that were so brightly blue that she could see their colour from where she was sitting.

But Reid only glared at the blue-eyed boy. Rachel snapped her attention back to the blond. He looked so angry, his eyes shifting from one friend to another without resting for more than a second. Why was he so angry?

"No. Give me the keys, baby boy." Reid continued on glaring at the third boy. But he didn't comply. He clenched his jaw, his full cheeks hollowing to make him look older than he must have been, and shook his head. _Baby boy?_

The four boys had stopped their exit to argue. Rachel surveyed each one while she had the chance, and was struck by how good looking they were. Similar to Aaron, in that vein. She glanced quickly at Josh and realized that he, too, shared that quality.

"Minutes are ticking by, _Tyler_," Reid said, glaring at _baby boy_. He was serious now, more serious than he'd been seconds ago. "You can give me those keys now, or all of Spenser will see."

See? See what? Had she missed a word? Rachel wanted to burst. She'd always been a curious person – nosy, her mother put it – and tonight was no exception. Already, she'd forgotten all about her stepbrother's hate. She just wanted to know what these boys were talking about.

Baby boy Tyler submitted. He handed Reid the keys and Rachel pulled back in her sitting place when the fourth boy rushed forward. His movement was almost violent as he grabbed the keys back from Reid, his chin length hair flying as he moved.

He was the boy who Rachel had seen push Reid into the classroom, preventing a fight with Aaron. He looked different when he wasn't in uniform. More like a man than a boy.

"That's not happening," he said, his eyes blazing. "Caleb." He turned to _Caleb_ – the first one who'd spoken – and threw him the keys. Both Reid and Rachel glanced from the long haired boy, to Caleb. Rachel's expression curious, Reid's enraged.

Not another word was exchanged. Caleb stared Reid down for a long time. The blond boy finally gave in, sighing and nodding in defeat. Caleb then led the three boys outside.

For seconds, the entrance hall was silent.

"What was that?" Rachel whispered, afraid in a juvenile way that they would hear her from outside.

Josh shrugged, shaking his head.


	3. From Ancient Grudge

**A/N: Thanks to all those who read and reviewed. You guys make me wanna write more. So write I did =] Enjoy. Oh and, anonymous, thanks for your comment about the boys being in character. That's one of the hardest things to do when I'm writing fanfic.  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Covenant. "From ancient grudge" is from Romeo and Juliet.  
**

**IN MY DREAMS**

CHAPTER THREE - FROM ANCIENT GRUDGE

I felt warm and safe, lying down with my head resting on something firm and gently thudding. I opened my eyes.

I was snuggled up in the arms of someone familiar, someone very dear to me. My ear was pressed against his chest and I smiled at the rhythm of his strong, comforting heartbeat

I had missed this, more than I would ever admit. I missed feeling this warm, this loved. My chest – my heart – was filled to the brim with something heated and overwhelming. Love. This was love, it had to be.

I sighed and he looked down at me. His eyes, a beautiful clear brown, stared back at me intently. He was captivating. The warm sensation in my heart flowed over and I couldn't resist him anymore. I shifted up and kissed him, just like we used to.

The kiss was everything I'd remembered, leaving me short of breath and my heart racing. I wanted to cry for happiness. I had forgotten how good it was to feel like this. I'd never let this go.

But then a muffled noise echoed, almost like scratching, way off in the distance.

He didn't seem to notice it, and I ignored it for as long as I could. But the sound was getting louder and clearer. It was a ringing. It could have been seconds, or minutes, maybe even an hour, but soon the ringing was shrill and blaring in my ear. I broke off the kiss and blinked.

--

Rachel opened her eyes. For a few seconds everything was fuzzy, but she woke up properly then and grabbed her phone off the bedside table. She pressed the _call end_ button on her cell, and her ringing alarm stopped.

Reality sunk in and Rachel realized she'd been dreaming. Dreaming about _him_. Her chest filled with an ache; it constricted and the sensation moved up to her throat. She wanted to cry.

Tossing her phone onto her bed, Rachel sat up and the sensation slowly drizzled away. She was empty. A cool numbness filled her chest and emanated out until it hit her stomach. _God_. Why was she still dreaming about him? She was the one who ended the relationship. She'd moved away and she'd left him behind. She even found herself flirting with Josh sometimes. So why couldn't Rachel get her ex-boyfriend out of her head?

--

"Reid, come on."

Reid opened his eyes to the sight of Tyler sitting across the dorm room already dressed for class.

"Ten minutes," Tyler announced, throwing Reid's blazer over to his bed.

The blond boy grimaced but got up, dressing with lazy, heavy motions as Tyler sorted through the mess on his desk for the right books he would need for his first four periods. Neither boy said a word, but Reid could tell Tyler wanted to say something. The younger boy kept glancing his way, questions in his eyes. Questions about last night.

It was incredible, and at the same time horrific. After the event itself, which had been painful and somewhat embarrassing to endure in front of his friends, Reid had felt powerful. The power that he'd had since he was thirteen had multiplied and he could only liken it to comparing a glass of lemonade with a bottle of absinthe. And now, Reid's bottle was bottomless. When he opened his eyes after the Ascension, it was as if he'd never seen anything clearly. As if he'd been blind his whole life and now the world was bright and lit from behind.

As soon as the pain of Ascending had ceased, all he wanted to do was Use. Just a little, just to test it. But Reid knew the rules. He knew the dangers of Using now that he'd Ascended.

As much as he joked around about it, as much as he'd rebelled against these rules, he didn't want to turn out like Caleb's father. He wanted to enjoy his youth for as long as possible, so he'd promised himself that he would Use only when necessary.

Caleb and Pogue lived by this same promise. The difference was that Reid had Used much more than Caleb and Pogue ever did. He was already relying on it when he was still seventeen, Using for whatever he wanted. And now his power was calling to him more than it had before. He was more susceptible to it, Reid knew that. But he'd hold out as long as he could.

--

Rachel's first week passed by quickly. After overhearing – _not_ eavesdropping – Reid and his friends arguing last week, she'd been anxious to see them again. Just to see if she could piece together more of the mystery. But she was a junior and she didn't share a class with any of them.

Josh was sick on the Monday of her second week. He was in bed with the flu and that left her by herself for lunch. She was like any other sixteen year old girl. She didn't want to sit alone at lunch; it would be embarrassing, awkward and, above all, boring.

After her fourth period she shuffled off to the dining hall, worried about having to sit by herself. And, for a while, it seemed she would have to. Rachel took her tray and sat down at one of the long, empty tables. She dug at her lunch, a vegetable pasta dish, and jumped when the chairs around her screeched back. She looked up and saw Aaron and Kira standing over her.

They sat down without a word, as if they sat with her everyday. Rachel glanced around the dining hall and bit back a chuckle when she realized that all the other tables were occupied.

"Got out of class late?" Rachel asked with a barely concealed smile. She couldn't help but enjoy making fun of Kira, even if it was about something as small and juvenile as this.

The redhead glared but looked up at Aaron and received a meaningful look. She turned her attention back to her lunch. How much pressure was Rachel's stepfather putting on Aaron to make him be nice to her?

A skinny girl with big, curly blond hair appeared at Aaron's side. She wasn't as pretty as Kira, but held herself with the same obnoxious air. Rachel smirked into her lunch when the blond tried to initiate a conversation and Aaron merely ignored her.

After a second attempt, the blond left in a huff and Kira waved at her with a mockingly pleasant smile. Rachel looked up and the two girls shared a satisfied, mischievous grin, as if they both played an active role in getting rid of the blond.

"So where did you move from?" Kira asked. Rachel was shocked; this was the first time she had regarded her pleasantly, even if her tone had been a little sharp.

"Riverside," she answered. Kira raised an eyebrow in question. "California, in the south."

"California. Cool."

The ice was broken. Kira and Rachel spoke about California, speaking as if they were classmates, as if Kira hadn't initially regarded her with contempt. Maybe the redhead wasn't that bad after all.

"Ugh."

Both girls turned to Aaron to see him sneering over at another table across the hall. He was glaring, it seemed, at Reid Garwin. Rachel scanned the table he was sitting at, but none of his three friends were there. Instead, he was sitting with a group of young girls, laughing animatedly.

Rachel frowned as she watched him. He was flirting with these girls. "Sophomores?" she muttered. The girls sitting at the table looked so young.

"Ninth graders," Kira corrected. _Ninth_ graders? But…he was a senior. He was hitting on girls _four_ years his junior. Rachel pulled back in her chair, disgusted, and looked from Kira to Aaron. They really did hate him, and now she saw why.

"What're you looking at, Abbott?"

Rachel jumped, seeing Reid stride over to their table. He looked like a different person from a minute ago. The expression on his face was hateful and ugly; he looked like he was ready for a fight.

Although she didn't feel particularly sympathetic towards Reid at that moment, she didn't want to see a fight. She touched Aaron's shoulder lightly when he moved to stand up and was afraid she would need to do more to hold him back. Kira watched intently, but made no move to help her.

"Reid!"

Everyone at their table, and within a three table radius, turned and saw Caleb stalking over. His face, that Rachel had remembered as looking pleasant and kind, was contorted in anger and stress. A few tables away, Rachel saw their other two friends. Blue eyes watched in amusement, green eyes watched in concern.

"Stay out of this," Aaron hissed, standing up now. Kira stood up too, and Rachel followed suit quickly, her legs shaking.

Reid seemed to agree with his enemy, snatching his arm away as Caleb moved to grab it. The blond boy stared at Aaron and sneered. "Keep your eyes to yourself, _Aaron_." Was _that_ why he was starting a fight – because he saw Aaron looking at him? The intensity of his glare seemed to suggest there was something else. There must have been something else.

For a second, it looked as if Reid was going to attack. He wound back to punch Aaron and clenched his teeth together, hate pouring from his eyes. But he didn't do anything. Reid seemed to have changed his mind and left the dining hall with Caleb close behind him.

"Pussy," Aaron hissed so quietly that Rachel almost didn't catch it. She flinched, hating the word and its context. She was frozen to the spot, aware that many of their fellow diners were staring at them.

Aaron sat down with a loud clash as his chair scratched against the polished wooden floorboards. Kira and Rachel sat down together, one girl watching Aaron and the other looking down at her food.

Within one lunch period, Rachel's distaste for Kira turned to cautious friendliness, her cool partiality for Aaron became a protective concern, and her curiosity about Reid Garwin was now hate.


	4. Of Their Parents' Rage

**A/N: Thanks to those who have read and reviewed. I know last chapter seemed a little...disjointed. It certainly seemed so when I was reading back on it, but I had to remind myself that Rachel knows all of three people going to Spenser and is an impressionable girl (as most 16 year olds are). Also, this next chapter might seem short and empty also. I intended to include the fifth chapter as part of this one, but then I realized it would've have doubled the size. Shorter chapters seem best. Hope you enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Covenant. "Of Their Parents' Rage" is quotes from Romeo and Juliet. **

**IN MY DREAMS  
**

CHAPTER FOUR – OF THEIR PARENTS' RAGE

Everything was dark. I couldn't see. I couldn't breathe. There was no air, no light. No life.

It would only take a little, the smallest amount of power. All I had to do was create a little light, and I could go find a window or something. How much harm could that cause?

Vaguely, I remembered I wasn't supposed to Use. In the back of my mind, I knew what I was doing was wrong. But at the same time, it all seemed to be justified and I couldn't tell what was right and what was wrong.

I felt the power surge through me and suddenly there was light. I was in a small room, a place that felt familiar but one I was sure I'd never been to before. Quickly, I scrambled towards the tiny window in front of me, feeling like my lungs would burst.

Everything inside me burned for air. My fingers struggled with the latch for what felt like minutes, but soon enough I opened the window and a cool blast of air hit me. I breathed in deep and everything became clear.

The burning stopped and I grinned into the night.

--

Reid woke up to a loud bang. Across the room, Tyler sat up in his bed groggily. The blond boy felt an icy breeze blow into the room and glanced at the window. It was open. Living in Ipswich all his life, Reid had gotten into the habit of never opening windows in winter. And he knew Tyler was just the same. It was far too cold to have fresh air blowing indoors.

Tyler just shrugged and went back to sleep. Reid reached his hand out, gesturing towards the window. Two weeks ago, he would have simply Used to close the window. He'd always found he was better at small burst of invisible power than projecting for long periods of time. It would have been simple, two weeks ago.

Now it was big decision. It _seemed_ small now, but the logical part of his brain – the part that he hadn't been listening to for a long time – told him it wouldn't stay small forever.

Reid sighed, clasping his extended hand into a fist and got up to close the window properly. He stared up into the sky from behind the glass. The sun was just coming up the horizon and the room was still dark. Above him, the light bulb flickered in and out, throwing the dorm from light into shadow.

He refocused his sight so he was looking at his almost invisible reflection in the window. His eyes were black.

--

It was Friday afternoon, finally. After the last period of Rachel's second week, she headed straight for the library. She only had a limited amount of time to find the books she needed, and to get back to her dorm to change.

Her mother had called and requested she and Aaron drive out to the house for a family dinner. Aaron hadn't been so happy about it. He had no qualm with either Rachel or her mother, but he wasn't excited about having to see his father. Rachel wasn't so happy about it also, because she had a midterm paper for American Literature due on Monday that she had barely started yet.

Rachel left the library with a stack of library books in her arms and a heavy book bag weighing down her shoulder. She stumbled up the grand staircase as quickly as she could and groaned when she felt her school scarf slipping from around her neck.

She was halfway up when the scarf fell. Rachel shifted to catch it between her elbow and her side, but instead dropped all her library books. Hardcover books about Ernest Hemingway and American Literature scattered down the stairs. She groaned, kneeling down and gathering the books closest to her up into a pile.

"Need a hand?"

Rachel glanced up. Reid Garwin stood at the base of the stairs, one of her books in his hand. A jolt of anger ran through her, remembering the fight he almost started at the beginning of the week, but it simmered away quickly. She stood up and looked down. Another book sat by his feet.

Reid bent down and picked the book up. Rachel stood frozen as he made his way up and handed her the last two books.

"Thanks," she muttered, her voice cracking.

The blond nodded, his lips pulling into a small smile. They were only two steps apart; this was the closest she'd been to him. For a moment, a breathless moment, Rachel forgot why she hated him. Without Aaron standing beside her, there didn't seem to be a reason. Reid seemed like just any other guy, albeit a good looking guy.

It was absurd, of course. She blinked and added the two books to her stack. His smile was dismissive, as if his gesture was nothing at all, and he turned to continue on his way. He stopped and looked back at her, appraising her. Recognizing her.

"You're _with_ Abbott," Reid stated. "I remember you from the dining hall." A new light entered his eyes; it was the same expression he had when he was flirting with those ninth graders. His words were touched with implication and Rachel felt antipathy sting at her throat.

Rachel scowled as playfulness and arrogance entered his expression. "No. I'm not _with_ Aaron." Her voice came out sharp and shrill, shriller than she'd wanted. She grabbed her book bag and scarf from the steps and sped up the stairs.

"Oh!" Reid called out as she reached the landing, laughter in his exclamation. "You'll get there soon enough. Abbott doesn't really like to take his time."

Horror and anger churned in her, but Rachel didn't reply. She couldn't reply, her throat was dry and words were physically impossible at that moment. A dull sensation filled her chest and she was reminded of her boyfriend back in California. Her _ex-_boyfriend, Rachel reminded herself. He looked nothing like Reid – Rachel wasn't sure if she'd someone who was as good looking as Reid Garwin – but they shared the same teasing tones, the same flirting arrogance. Rachel felt sick to her stomach.

--

"So, Rachel, how are you finding Spenser?" Mr Abbott asked, taking a sip of wine.

The Abbott mansion was beautiful, but definitely not to Rachel's tastes. Everything that was there seemed to be there for show's sake. It was obvious Mr Abbott made a lot of money, and it was obvious he wanted everyone to know that.

Rachel picked up a piece of chicken with her fork and looked up at the table. Mr Abbott looked very much like Aaron, with the same sharp features and strong brow. Rachel wasn't sure whether she would get along with him, but he seemed to make her mother happy so she would try not to cause too much trouble.

"It's a challenge," she replied honestly. She looked over at her mother and received a comforting smile. Her mom had never been the type to pressure her in her school work; in fact, she never really asked about it. She had been more concerned when Rachel came home after having a fight with her best friend, than when she came home with a D-plus paper.

"And how're your studies coming along, Aaron?" Mr Abbott's tone changed, a coolness entering his voice.

"Fine, Father," the senior answered. His eyes flicked over to Rachel and she could see the same resentment and fear that was there two weeks ago. It was clear there had never been much love in the father-son relationship.

"Just fine?" Mr Abbott questioned, his voice become heavier. "You're in your final year now, Aaron. I'd think you'd be taking it more seriously. College next year."

Rachel bit her lip. If anyone at Spenser took that tone with Aaron, she wouldn't be able to stop a fight from happening, but Aaron didn't react. He just stared down at his dinner, pulling the stuffing out of his chicken breast with his fork.

"College?" Rachel sat up, trying to help the dinner conversation. "Which one are you going to?"

"Stanford," Aaron mumbled.

"Stanford's an impressive school, Aaron," Rachel's mother spoke for the first time.

"Yeah. Congratulations," her daughter agreed. He was going to Stanford? How could his father not be proud of that?

"I heard Evelyn Danvers' son got into Harvard," Mr Abbott said simply. Rachel stared, wide eyed, at him as he finished off his chicken. Her disbelief was only overwhelmed by pity for her stepbrother.

--

"That was terrible! What the hell is his problem?" Rachel exclaimed as the two stepsiblings left the house after dinner. Aaron stayed silent, his jaw clenched. Mr Abbott's comments had continued on until dessert and Rachel found it had become more difficult to hold a friendly conversation with him.

The car ride back was quiet. It wasn't until Rachel saw unfamiliar buildings that she realized they weren't going back to the school.

"Aaron, where are we?"

"Going to Nicky's," he replied in a muted tone. He was in a bad mood.

"What's Nicky's?"

--


	5. Where Civil Blood

**A/N: Thanks to those who've read and reviewed so far, you guys are motivating me to keep on writing. So I know you guys will probably be expecting drama since this chapter is set at Nicky's, but it might not be the kind of drama you'd expect. This one feels a bit quick-paced to me, and I'm worried you'll be a little disappointed. But don't worry, we'll be visiting Nicky's again soon enough. Just read and enjoy =] And review if you wanna keep me motivated.**

**Disclaimer: Covenant, chapter title, etc = not mine. You guys know the deal.**

**IN MY DREAMS  
**

CHAPTER FIVE – WHERE CIVIL BLOOD

Reid sat at one of the small round tables near the bar. He and Tyler had come to Nicky's later than usual and the pool tables were all being used. His three friends were sitting with him, while Kate Tunney and Sarah Wenham played foosball. Or attempted to: Sarah wasn't very good.

The blond boy stared off into the crowd of people dancing by the jukebox, not really looking at anyone in particular. Vaguely, he registered Caleb, Pogue and Tyler talking about the swim team. As Reid stared at nothing, he thought about his dreams. The one he'd had this morning hadn't been the first one.

A few nights earlier he'd dreamt about seeing an open door and trying to push it closed. He'd put all his strength into it and it wasn't until he allowed his eyes to turn black that the door slammed shut. He had woken up just in time to see the door to their bathroom slam shut so loud that Tyler jolted awake.

The night before that, he'd dreamt about being thirsty. He was wracked by the kind of thirst that caused pain. He had done everything he could in the dream to get something to drink. Nothing worked, nothing except Using. When Reid woke up, the bathroom was flooded.

He was Using in his sleep. How was that possible? He'd never been able to do that before. Their powers were something that needed conscious control. Reid wondered whether Caleb or Pogue had experienced the same dreams, but he didn't want to draw attention to it by asking. If they hadn't, Reid wouldn't hear the end of it. He didn't want to think about the amount of times Caleb lectured him on Using. _It's dangerous. It's addictive. It's fatal._

Ever since Reid's Ascension, he'd been on good terms with Caleb. He hadn't consciously Used and he'd only bothered Aaron once in the past two weeks. That must have been some sort of record.

Reid jumped when someone clicked their fingers inches from his face. The guys were staring at him from their seats, and Kate and Sarah were standing by them, watching him curiously.

"What?" He tried not to sound annoyed.

"I asked if you wanted a drink," Kate said, laughter in her voice.

"Oh." Reid blinked, swallowing to clear his throat. "Just a Coke?"

"Sure," Kate nodded. "We'll be right back." She beamed down at Pogue before taking Sarah by the hand and bounding over to the crowded bar. Reid's eyes followed the two girls only for a second before he saw a shock of dark hair and a loud crash.

--

It turned out Nicky's was a bar. Rachel felt terribly underdressed having come straight from dinner with the family. Most of the girls there were wearing tops and dresses that showed a bit too much skin for such a cool evening. She was stuck in jeans and an embarrassingly modest blouse.

"I see Ryan and Bordy," Aaron said, nodding his head over at the left corner. Rachel glanced that way and saw pool tables, crowded pool tables. "You want something to drink? I was gonna get a Coke."

She nodded. "I'll get it." Rachel shook her head when he offered her a ten dollar note and headed to the bar while he got lost in the crowd by the pool tables.

Rachel recognised some students from her classes at Spenser as she squeezed past a few patrons to get closer to the bar. The two bartenders were busy, serving food and drinks. A girl, who had been sitting on one of the high barstools, got up when one of her friends pulled her to the dance floor. Rachel snatched the seat quickly before it toppled over. She pulled it closer to her and sat down.

She glanced around, fiddling with the edge of the bar as she waited. Everywhere, she saw small groups of friends, and couples scattered around the bar. Everyone was eating, laughing, dancing. Everyone was having a good time.

For the first time since she'd moved to Ipswich, she missed her friends. She hadn't really had a chance to stop and think about them. Rachel wondered what they were doing, if they missed her as well. Letting her thoughts wander, Rachel thought about her ex-boyfriend. She bit her lip, pulling her hands back from the bar and curling them up in her lap.

Shutting her eyes, Rachel swallowed and forced herself to think about something else. If she kept on like this, she would be a complete wreck in a matter of minutes. That wasn't the kind of thing she wanted to go through in front of half the junior and senior class of Spenser.

_You're the one who broke it off,_ she scolded herself. But that didn't mean much now. Not when he was across the country and she was here, sitting alone in a bar. Rachel jumped when a couple of girls fell forward onto the bar.

"Kate!" The blond one called out. But her friend, perhaps even more beautiful than the blond, stumbled. They had squeezed through the crowd and the dark haired girl tripped over someone's foot. She fell onto Rachel, and her blond friend grabbed her arm to pull her back. But no one was there to grab onto Rachel.

Her stool tipped back and in a flash the junior was on the floor, flat on her back. Everyone around them gasped as the stool crashed loudly against the wooden bar.

Pain radiated from her skull, where her head had hit the hard floor. A different sort of pain exploded in her shoulder. For a second, Rachel struggled to open her eyes. When she did, everything was dim, and black clouded at the edges of her sight. There was a loud roaring in her head, and she wasn't sure whether that was just her or whether the noise was coming from the people around her.

The pain in her skull began to lessen very gradually, but the pain in her shoulder was only getting worse. Her limbs were locked but she was glad to stay where she was. The closer to the ground she was, the better. But then she felt someone helping her up. A groan sounded from her throat, her body protested against the movement.

Alarm streamed through her when she saw Aaron holding her up. He was livid.

--

Reid leapt up at the sound of the crash, just like everyone else. Most of Nicky's were crowding around the accident, but many pulled back when they saw Aaron rush forward from the pool tables.

"Oh, shit," Tyler muttered from behind him. They saw Abbott picking that junior girl up, the girl he'd been sitting with recently. Kate and Sarah were by the bar, shocked and falling over themselves to try to help him. But he wasn't having any of it, turning his back to them to make sure the girl was okay.

"Jesus," he muttered. "Rachel, you okay?" He was tense. Reid watched as Abbott steadied Rachel – so that was her name – against the bar, and turned to Kate. There was something about him tonight, something different from usual. Reid had never seen Aaron get angry at a girl – not the way he did when he started fights with the boys – but tonight Aaron was really pissed off.

He started swearing at Kate, yelling at her about staying away from his sister. Sister? _Oh_. Reid pressed his lips together. No wonder she'd gotten so angry at him that afternoon. Pogue left the table, shoving his chair back loudly as he started towards Abbott.

"Aaron, cut it out," Rachel mumbled. She grabbed onto his sleeve, but she could barely stand straight, so her efforts at pulling him back were made in vain.

Abbott shrugged her off roughly and glared at Kate. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" he bellowed.

"Watch it, Abbott," Pogue growled as he reached them, pulling Kate behind him. "It was an accident."

"This has got nothing to do with you," he barked at Pogue. Caleb had joined them now, and so Reid and Tyler followed.

"Gentlemen!" Nicky called over the shouting. The fight stopped and it was Sarah who spoke next.

"She's bleeding." The blond girl stepped forward and gestured to Rachel. She was barely conscious, only upright because she was leaning against the bar. Aaron moved quickly to check her.

Rachel's pale shirt was ruined. Along her shoulder blade was a large circular wound, bleeding and speckled with shattered glass. Reid glanced down and saw the remains of a crushed glass on the ground. _Oh geez._

"She must have hit it when she…fell," Sarah said in horror. _Well of course she did!_ Reid wanted to scream at her. _Look at the girl!_ The junior was pale and bleeding, and drooping in Aaron's arms. She was bad condition. Reid stayed glued to his position, standing behind Caleb and Tyler.

"Oh god," Kate whispered, her voice wavering.

Rachel blinked slowly, heavily, as if struggling to stay awake. She raised a hand slowly and clutched the back of her head, swallowing thickly as she clenched her teeth against the pain.

Caleb took charge. He stepped forward, over to Rachel and his girlfriend. "We'll call an ambulance." He pulled out his cell phone.

"Don't bother,_ Danvers,_" Aaron spat. "I'll drive her myself."

Reid watched in silence as a few of Aaron's friends helped Rachel out of the bar. He stared down at the broken glass on the ground, paling when he saw smears of blood on the shards.

"That could've been really bad," Tyler mumbled. Everyone else was beginning to return to their normal states, the noise and chatter returning.

The girls stared at Tyler in disbelief.

"That _was_ really bad," Kate breathed.

"I want to follow them," Sarah said softly. Kate nodded. "Just to make sure she'll be okay," she explained to Caleb.

"Okay, come on."

Caleb led Sarah and Kate outside. Pogue glanced at Tyler and Reid for a second before following them out. He wouldn't risk letting Abbott yell Kate like that again.

"Shit, man." Reid stared at the bloodied glass again.

"Yeah," Tyler said lamely, his voice as hollow and low as Reid's.


	6. What Here Shall Miss

**A/N: Oookay. So I've been a little slow updating, apologies! I had an exam to study for and, truth is, I was having trouble with what to put in this chapter. It may be a little light on the drama, considering the last chapter, but it's leading to some more happenings to be seen when I update next. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this one and keep reading. And no, the very end of this chapter is not meant to be a mystery =]**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Covenant. The chapter title is from Romeo and Juliet. And I've been listening to a variety of songs to keep me writing, which might be why the pacing is a little choppy.**

**IN MY DREAMS**

CHAPTER SIX - WHERE HERE SHALL MISS

Her stepbrother had overreacted. He was yelling and swearing, for no good reason. Rachel tried to stop him, to pull him back, but her hands didn't seem to work. Everything became strange. Aaron's screeching sounded muffled, distant. Nothing was where it should have been and the world spun. One second, Rachel was stumbling towards Aaron's car, and the next, she was lying in a hospital room.

Two boys stood close by and for a second she didn't recognize either of them. Rachel blinked, trying to clear the darkness that was clouding her vision. Finally, when she could see properly again, she saw her mother sitting near the door. Another stranger stood by her side.

"Rachel." It was a male's voice, but she wasn't sure which had spoken. As soon as she heard it though, her brain seemed to wake up and she remembered who was standing around her, and what had happened. Rachel blinked heavily and frowned, straining to sit up.

"Oh sweetheart!" her mother gushed, moving over to the bed and clasping Rachel's hands. "How do you feel?"

The black haired girl swallowed drily and glanced from Josh to Aaron. "I'm fine, Mom."

She had fainted? Rachel tried to remember what had happened clearly. She recalled seeing the two girls who had crashed into her and those four boys again. _He_ was everything. But she tried not to think about him.

"What happened?" Mr Abbott asked in a stern tone. He glanced meaningfully at Aaron. What had her stepbrother told him? "More fighting?" he asked, this time directing the question to his son.

"There was an accident," Rachel began, stopping when her shoulder ached.

"You were _bleeding_," her mother said. "What kind of accident was there?"

Rachel tried to speak again, hating the disbelief in her mother's tone and her stepfather's eyes, but Mr Abbott interrupted her. "Jillian, there was no _accident_. There was a fight. Always fighting, Aaron. Do you know how this could affect your enrolment at Spenser? At _Stanford_?"

Josh looked extremely uncomfortable. His light eyes avoided everyone else's and he fiddled with the seam of Rachel's pillow.

"A fight didn't cause this," Rachel said when Aaron stayed silent. His jaw was clenched and he stared at the ground. Mr Abbott glanced sharply at her, looking at her as if she were a disobedient child. "There was an accident. I fell off my stool and onto a glass." Saying it now sounded ridiculous but Rachel stared back at her stepfather vehemently.

The small hospital room was cold and silent for several minutes. The tension was broken only when the door opened and a middle aged man in a white doctor's coat entered.

"Rachel, I'm Dr Williams. How're you feeling?"

"Fine," Rachel replied. The others stayed silent as the doctor checked her heart rate and shone a tiny flashlight in her eyes. Mr Abbott, Josh and Aaron turned away when the doctor peeled back part of Rachel's hospital gown to check her shoulder.

"We had to give you a few stitches. It's nothing to worry about. Just don't get them wet, and come back in a week so we can remove them."

Rachel nodded, only partially listening as Dr Williams continued on with instructions about changing the bandage on the back of her shoulder.

"Now all I need is for your parents to fill out a release form," the doctor said with a polite smile, turning to Rachel's mother. "Just outside to the left." The three adults moved to leave. "Oh, a few of your school friends are outside, too." They left and Rachel glanced at Aaron and Josh curiously.

"We'll wait for you outside," Josh said as Aaron handed Rachel her jeans and sweater. They left and she dressed quickly, wincing when she pulled her sweater on. Lifting her arms too quickly sent jolts of discomfort through her shoulder. Rachel left her little room and found the hallway full of tension.

Her mother and stepfather stood by the elevator doors, her mom looking worried and Mr Abbott eyeing Aaron sternly. Aaron stood by her door, his hands balled into fists, glaring at a group of people standing across from him. Josh leant awkwardly against a wall, relief flooding his eyes when Rachel appeared.

"Sweetheart, we have to leave now," her mother said. She walked over to Rachel, hugged her carefully and kissed her on the cheek. "I'll call you tomorrow afternoon to check in."

"Drive home safe," Aaron's father advised as the elevator door opened. His eyes flickered from Rachel to Aaron, lingering there for a second longer than Rachel thought necessary.

"Rachel, right?"

She turned her attention to the four other people standing in the hallway. The one who had spoken was tall and perhaps more beautiful than most students attending Spenser. She held out her hand and Rachel shook it.

"I'm Kate. This is Pogue," the girl said, gesturing to the tall boy standing behind her. He was one of Reid's friends, the one who looked more like a man than a high school senior. He glanced down from glaring at Aaron and shook Rachel's hand. "And this is Sarah, and Caleb."

The blond girl – Sarah – waved at her awkwardly and Caleb smiled in greeting.

"Listen, we're really sorry about what happened," Sarah blurted out, stepping forward.

From behind her, Rachel could hear Aaron moving forward also. She tensed as her stepbrother stood by her side, very aware that one false move from either Pogue or Caleb would set him off again.

"It's okay," Rachel said to the two girls. "It was an _accident_." She emphasized her words for Aaron's sake, her hazel eyes glancing at him. "Let's go home," she said, nudging him to move towards the elevators.

--

The weekend went by smoothly. Reid was bothered only by a few more disturbing dreams and a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. Everyone had been talking about the incident at Nicky's on Friday night, and Reid couldn't help but be curious as well.

Caleb and Pogue had told them that she seemed fine at the hospital, but Reid still felt uneasy. There had been a lot of blood and she'd been rather pale. That was the least was his worries though.

Reid's dreams were getting more … desperate. No longer were they about darkness and doors. Friday night he dreamt of a thousand shards of broken glass piercing his skin. Saturday night's dream had Reid gasping for air as he began to drown in the ocean. And last night, he had dreamt of being burned alive. Every time he withheld Using for as long as he could. But his will power wasn't as strong as his need to Use.

When Reid woke up on Monday morning he could still feel his skin burning. Everything was hot and sizzling, and he knew it would be easy to simply Use and make that feeling disappear. He sat in his bed, glaring at his hands; temptation literally at his fingertips.

"Dude, what're you doing?' Tyler sat up in his own bed across the room.

"Nothing," Reid replied through clenched teeth and got up to get dressed.

--

During lunch, Rachel could feel everyone's eyes on her. Had news of her accident spread that quickly? She sat at a table near the entrance with Aaron, Kira and a few of their friends. After Friday night, Aaron hadn't been so eager to let her out of his sight. As annoying as her stepbrother was being, Rachel couldn't help but be grateful for it. She'd never had an older brother type figure in her life before. Aaron was, of course, overreacting but it was sweet nonetheless.

The junior sat, surrounded by seniors, and poked at her salad. She'd never really had an appetite for raw vegetables and the stares from everyone around them were unnerving her. Rachel interrupted a somewhat heated discussion between Aaron and Bordy concerning cars or engines…or something.

"I'm out," she announced, standing up.

"Where're you going?" Aaron asked immediately, looking up at her. Bordy, Ryan and Kira stared at her also, making her feel even more uncomfortable.

"Um…back to my dorm," Rachel replied. Aaron frowned. "My…my shoulder's acting up a little. I just wanna go and check the bandage." Her stepbrother nodded slowly and turned back to Bordy. She tossed the rest of her salad into the trash and left the dining hall as quickly as she could.

Clutching her book bag to her chest, Rachel dashed up two staircases, cursing Spenser Academy for their forever out-of-order elevators. As she hit the third floor, she realized she'd taken the wrong staircase. Rachel found herself in the East wing of the third floor: the boys' wing. She wanted to kick herself. It was a decent ten minute walk to reach her room and she was exhausted.

Rachel grimaced and made her way down the main hall, trying to ignore the boys who were loitering around their doorways. It wasn't forbidden for girls to be in the boys' wing, but it wasn't common. Several of them glanced up as she passed them. She stared at the ground and walked as quickly as her legs could carry her.

The junior was so preoccupied about _not_ paying the boys any attention that she walked straight into one. Rachel bumped into someone wearing very expensive shoes and stumbled backwards. The person grabbed onto her arm to catch her from falling and pain erupted in her shoulder.

Rachel cried out and was forced to look up. She sighed. But of course, who _else_ would it be?


	7. Both Alike In Dignity

**A/N: Sorry for taking so long to update! Uni's just started up, so I've had less free time to write. Thanks to those who've reviewed, you guys rock. Just throwing this out there: what kinds of scenes do you guys enjoy seeing in this fic? More Reid/Rachel interactions? Or Rachel/Aaron. Or more Sons of Ipswich type scenes? Just out of curiosity =] Don't forget to review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Covenant, etc.**

**IN MY DREAMS  
**

CHAPTER SEVEN - BOTH ALIKE IN DIGNITY

"Ow!" Rachel cried. The boy that stood before her was several inches taller than her, but stood only a few inches away from her. His shockingly light hair was messy, haphazardly tousled as if he's been running his hands through it. His pale blue eyes looked tight and stressed, but softened when Rachel called out in pain. She wasn't paying much attention to any of these things. What her eyes went to almost instantly was his hand clasped around her arm, just above her elbow.

Reid Garwin's expression was now slightly apologetic, but his eyes lost none of their amused smugness. "Sorry."

The junior shook her head, frowning. The last thing she needed at that moment was another confrontation with Reid. After yet another night of dreams concerning her past in California, the boatload of homework assignments she'd received that morning, the weekend of pain and semi-healing and, of course, the scrutiny of Spenser Academy, all Rachel needed was a lie down before her next period began.

Rachel tried to pull her arm away, but Reid's grip on it was stronger than she'd realized. The blond looked down at his hand and let go immediately. His blue eyes trailed, slowly, up from her arm to her face.

"Ah, you're the sister," Reid said with a half smile.

She was painfully aware of just how close he was standing to her, and that he hadn't moved away. Rachel herself almost stepped back but stopped when she saw how he was looking down at her. His eyes were mocking her. It was a test. If she stepped back, she'd lose. And Rachel was never one to back down.

"Excuse me?" She tried to sound aggressive and knew she wasn't very successful.

"Aaron Abbott's sister," Reid clarified, his eyes playful, almost suggestive.

"Aaron Abbott's _step_sister," Rachel corrected him. She stared him down, not afraid that he was staring back, not afraid of how close he was standing. She hated losing more than she disliked him.

Reid looked mockingly apologetic, smiling as he said, "Oh. So you wouldn't be Rachel Abbott then."

She was surprised he knew her name and that, of course, was exactly what he'd wanted. He was trying to win their little banter and he was succeeding.

"And you wouldn't be Spenser's finest," Rachel sneered. She hadn't used that tone of voice since she was in seventh grade, during her petty teeny bopper phase.

The senior boy's cheeks dimpled, seemingly entertained by the competition. For a minute all Rachel could hear was breathing. Reid's pale eyes trailed up and down, sizing her up. Her own gaze didn't shift from his face and she didn't move at all.

Finally, he raised his hand in the small space between them and introduced himself with a lopsided smile. "Reid Garwin."

Rachel's eyes flicked down to his hand. A giddy, immature streak ran through her as she looked back up at him, a cold smile touching her lips.

"Rachel Lewis," she answered without shaking his offered hand.

He cocked his head to the side and pulled his hand back. Reid didn't falter. His ego wasn't bruised, at least not a way that was obvious. "Not into touching?" he asked coyly. Rachel frowned at the implication in his voice. His face broke into a smile; he was enjoying her discomfort.

"Not you, no," she fired back. Rachel walked around him and was filled with a thrilling sensation of triumph as she made her way to her dorm.

--

The week passed by quickly. Rachel had spent most of it holed up in Spenser's library, catching up on class work. Twice she had encountered Reid Garwin in the halls of their prestigious boarding school, and twice Rachel made some sort of snarky dismissal and avoided him. When Friday rolled around, she was glad for the break from school work.

"Nicky's, tonight?" Josh asked as he sat down next to her in their Biology class. Rachel hesitated, gaping at him. His face broke into a grin. "I'm just kidding."

"Thanks," Rachel scoffed, shoving his shoulder gently. The Snider boy laughed along with her, handing her a worksheet from the teacher.

"But seriously, do you have plans for tonight?"

She shrugged. "Let's do something," Rachel suggested casually. "I really don't want to be cooped up in the library again."

Josh smiled and nodded, turning his attention to their Biology teacher as she began her lecture.

--

"So I hear you're going on a date with my brother tonight."

Rachel looked up from her laptop at the pretty redhead standing in her doorway. Kira Snider didn't look unkind, just a little smug.

"What?"

"Josh came to me during recess and asked about where he should take you on your date tonight." Kira stepped into the little dorm room and sat down on the edge of Rachel's bed. "He seemed rather excited."

Rachel shook her head, surprised. _Oh god_. A date? The last thing on her mind was boys. And the whole idea of going on a date, of the possibility of a relationship, made her feel uneasy. The memory of her past relationship turned that uneasiness to anxiety.

Kira watched her curiously. "But you don't seem as eager." Rachel didn't say a word. The redhead raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Uh," Rachel sighed, "it's a misunderstanding. We were just going to hang out." She kept shaking her head, running the conversation over in her mind. But of course, it must have sounded like she was agreeing to go on a date with him. And they'd spent the past few weeks flirting, it must have seemed natural. To Rachel, however, it felt wrong.

"Well..." Kira tilted her chin up. "Why don't you guys come to Nicky's with Aaron and me? You can hardly call that a date."

"Nicky's?" Rachel raised her eyebrows. "Kira, I don't know about that. Last time…"

"Last time was a freak accident," Kira said. "This works out well actually. Aaron's been kind of anxious about you. And we'll be there in case things get awkward between you and Josh."

Rachel considered Kira's offer. Unfortunately, the redhead was right. There was no way she could get out of seeing Josh that night, and any other choice was too close to a date that she would be sure to freak out and hurt his feelings. But she could spend the entire night at Nicky's, watching her stepbrother play pool and listening to the jukebox with Kira and Josh. And, a very small part of her thought, maybe Reid would be there.

--

"Dude, what's wrong with you?"

Reid's light blue eyes snapped up to glare at Tyler. A competitive streak ran through him and he returned his attention to the pool table between them. He aimed his cue stick and followed through. The ball he'd aimed at sped into the corner pocket with a loud and satisfying _thwack_.

"Well finally," Tyler taunted him in jest: that had been the first shot Reid had made. He made a face at his friend as he lined up for his next shot. But Tyler was right; Reid had been playing poorly. Tyler was beating him by four balls, and on most nights Reid was the superior player. Tonight Reid was distracted.

He'd almost gotten used to his strange dreams. He was no longer shocked when he woke up to find the window shattered, the bathroom flooded or his sheets covered in sea water. He knew that he was Using in his dreams, but he also knew that he hadn't consciously Used…yet. Reid was trying his best and he thought he was doing rather well.

That wasn't what was distracted him. The night earlier he'd dreamt of a cold beach. He stood near the cliffs and a girl stood behind him. Having girls in his dreams wasn't a new phenomenon, but they were usually there for one reason. This dream was nothing like _those_ kinds of dreams.

Rachel Lewis stood behind him, silent and unmoving. Reid wasn't even sure if she was there, but he'd gotten the vague impression she was there, and that she was afraid. A wall of water rushed at them and Reid Used without thinking. He threw up his hands and the water stopped as if it hit the side of a large glass tank.

When Reid woke up, he didn't think twice about Using. He barely noticed the wall of water hitting his window. All he could think about was why he had dreamt of Rachel.

"Aaron's here," Tyler muttered under his breath as Reid missed his shot. He turned to where Tyler gestured and saw Abbott push through the crowd towards the pool tables. A few of his friends followed, including Kira Snider. It was odd to see her there; Kira had always made her opinion of Nicky's clear. She hated the place, thought it was dirty and beneath her. As Aaron's group streamed passed them and milled around an empty table, Reid's eye caught _hers._

Rachel trailed in behind Aaron's group. Kira's little brother was walking behind her, his hand on the small of her back.

"Evening fellas." Pogue appeared by their table.

"Sup, bro," Reid greeted his friend with a half handshake, half hug and surveyed the area for the others. Tyler made his shot and continued on around the table. "Where's Caleb?"

"Trying to teach Sarah how to play foosball," Pogue said, rolling his eyes. A hand swatted at arm and Kate appeared by his side.

"Be nice, Pogue. She's still new at it," the beauty scolded. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and straightened as her boyfriend kissed her on the cheek.

Reid watched the couple interact, wondering how Kate would react if she ever found out about their secret. Of course, Sarah had accepted it and kept it with ease. But Kate had known them all for so long that she might feel betrayed by the lies. Would she be too hurt to keep seeing Pogue? Or would she accept it because she loved him?

"Come on baby, let's get a table." Kate pulled Pogue away, leading them closer to the foosball table.

Tyler made another shot and Reid's eyes followed Kate and Pogue until they disappeared into the crowd, and then his eyes rested on Rachel.


	8. Whose Misadventured Piteous Overthrows

**A/N: Wow! I haven't updated in a very long time. Really sorry about that...mix of uni work getting heavier and loss of both inspiration and interest. But they're back and this is what they made... Oh, btw, this chapter has been inspired by 'Sober' by Kelly Clarkson.  
**

**Dislcaimer: I don't own the Covenant, or Romeo and Juliet.  
**

**IN MY DREAMS**

CHAPTER EIGHT - WHOSE MISADVENTURED PITEOUS OVERTHROWS

Reid sat out for a game, letting Tyler play against Pogue. He wasn't having the best night anyway, and he wasn't in the mood to lose any money to Abbott. The blond boy joined Caleb, Sarah and Kate at their small table near the bar.

"Ugh," Kate groaned, "American History is killing me. I have no idea how to start that essay."

Reid tuned out just as Sarah began to explain, in detail, of what the assignment had been about. His mind wandered, as did his eyes. He'd been watching _her_ all night, of course. She was hard to miss; the only girl who stayed around Aaron's pool table. Kira seemed to have gotten bored after the first game and was sipping on a Coke near the bar.

Kira Snider was none of his concern though. What Reid was preoccupied by was her little brother, and his ever-presence around Rachel. He couldn't say why exactly, but something about that kid annoyed him. Joshua Snider slung his arm around Rachel and Reid frowned. A strange sensation bubbled just beneath his skin; sort of like his pulse was sizzling.

He'd felt it before. He'd felt it in his dreams.

"Don't even think about it, Reid."

The blond turned his attention back to the table. Caleb was staring at him, his dark eyes full of warning and authority. The girls stopped their discussion of essay structure and glanced up at Caleb.

"Think about what?" Reid muttered, annoyed that the girls were in on this conversation too. Had Caleb really known Reid felt the urge to Use? Well of course he did. He'd Ascended first, he must have known how the temptation felt. But to say something so blatant in front of Kate? Pogue would never forgive any of them if they spilled the secret to her. Sarah glanced around at all three, nervous.

"She's Aaron's _sister_," Caleb continued. "He'd kill you."

Surprised flashed through him, and the urge to Use dissipated. "What?"

Caleb sighed, glancing over at the pool table. The girls did the same, smiles forming on their faces. "You've been staring at her all night."

Reid didn't say anything; he _couldn't_ say anything. The table was silent, the girls still staring at the pool table across the bar. Caleb was glaring intently at Reid, but the blond was staring at the empty glass in front of him.

"You know," Kate said, catching the attention of both boys, "she's not interested in him."

"What?" Reid asked again, his voice softer than before. Was she talking about him? Well of course Rachel wasn't interested in him, because he wasn't interested in her. What a weird thing to say.

"That guy…" Kate nodded her head towards the pool tables. "Kira's little brother. He's interested in her, but she's not into him." Sarah nodded, as if in agreement.

"How can you tell?" Caleb asked, baffled by their sudden knowledge.

Sarah smiled. "It's a girl thing. It's kind of obvious, even from all the way over here."

"Mmm," Kate nodded. "It's in her body language. She's _really_ not into him. But she doesn't want to hurt his feelings."

Reid watched them. The girls were right, and now that they'd told him, it seemed extremely obvious. How had he not seen it before? Josh's body was relaxed as he said something to Rachel, his eyes never leaving her face. But Rachel's body was stiff, and the only part of her that moved was her eyes. Her dark hazel eyes shifted from left to right, watching the pool game in front of her.

"Just stay away from her, man."

Reid glanced back. Caleb was looking at him. He wasn't sure why he was warning him. Reid had no intention of talking to her, but now that Caleb had mentioned it, the opportunity seemed too irresistible to ignore.

--

Rachel was having a terrible evening. She couldn't shake Josh for even a minute and she was beginning to feel claustrophobic. Kira had made herself scarce within minutes of arriving, and Aaron was paying attention only to the pool table and the scoreboard. And every few minutes or so, she could feel her bandage pressing against the inside of her shirt and readjust it so no one could tell.

When she'd been getting ready for Nicky's, Rachel had sifted through her entire closet, looking for a shirt that would hide her bandage, and the only thing that came close was another embarrassingly modest blouse. Just once she'd love to come to Nicky's wearing something that a teenager would actually wear. She pulled at her sleeves self consciously.

"Caleb and his friends are looking over here," Josh said in her ear, trying to be heard over the jukebox. Rachel raised her eyebrows and glanced across the bar. Sure enough, Caleb, Sarah, Kate and Reid were all staring at them. Rachel averted her gaze immediately, paying more attention to the pool table.

"Look, a free table," she said, pointing over to a low table between the pool tables and the bar. Maybe if they were sitting at a table she could have a moment to breathe. Having Josh's arm over her shoulder was beginning to suffocate her. No such luck. Now Rachel and Josh were isolated from everyone else, in a secluded section of the bar. She glanced around, fiddling with edge of the table.

"Maybe we shouldn't have come here," Josh said. He looked concerned, the kind of the look that would make any girl melt. Here sat this cute boy who had been nothing but kind to her. And all Rachel could think about was getting away. What was wrong with her? Josh leaned forward, and now they were only inches apart.

"No, it's fine." She leant back, resting all her weight on the back of her chair. And then she remembered what happened last time she sat down in Nicky's and shot forward to push her weight onto the table. It felt much sturdier than her chair.

"Are you sure?" Josh's expression was a mix of worry and humour, watching her as she balanced on the edge of her seat. And now they were much closer than they'd been before. Sit back or lean forward? For a moment, Rachel couldn't choose which was worse. Josh shifted forward and reached out to touch her. She lurched back immediately, the anxiety getting the better of her.

It was all too much. Rachel thought she'd gotten away from all that. Ipswich was meant to be a new start. But it would be the same. Josh…Reid…_him_…. They were all the same. All of a sudden she could feel it pushing down on her. The anxiety, the uneasiness, the fear. It was all falling in around her and all she could do was sit there and try her hardest to remain calm.

A sharp jangling broke through that small, intense air that she'd been building up. Her cell phone.

Josh was in the middle of saying something, apologizing maybe.

"I'm sorry Josh. I have to take this." _Private caller_ flashed on the screen. Rachel grabbed her jacket and fled. She pushed through the crowd and finally felt the anxiety lift once she reached the cool night air.

--

"Reid!"

"What?" He returned his attention from Rachel to Caleb. The older boy was watching him again.

"How about a game?" Caleb nodded his head at the foosball table.

Reid raised his eyebrows. He wasn't exactly a fan of foosball, especially since Caleb tended to use it as an excuse to give him a 'talking to'. And right now, Reid really wasn't in the mood. He glanced up again, out of habit, and watched as Rachel almost fell over herself heading for the exit. Reid frowned. Something compelled him to go outside, and mentally, Reid was telling himself that it wasn't because of Rachel.

"I'm gonna have to pass on that one, Caleb." He finished the rest of his Coke and stood up. "Just gonna go get some fresh air. Music's starting to give me a headache."

Every single one of his close friends looked up at him with concern in their eyes – except Caleb. Reid knew Pogue, Tyler and Sarah were probably worried about his Powers. Maybe the temptation was starting to get to him. Tyler was already starting to get suspicious of all the weird things going on in their dorm. Maybe he'd told the others about it. But Caleb wasn't worried. He'd seen Rachel go outside too, and he knew exactly what Reid was doing.

"I'll be back in a minute." He tried to seem casual as he left the bar, but quickened his pace as soon as he was hidden in the crowd. When Reid reached the exit, he glanced around for her. Nothing.

--

"Hello?"

"Rachel?"

She froze, pressing her back against the side of Nicky's bar. _That voice_. The one she'd left behind. The one she was never meant to hear ever again. The one in her dreams, urging her back home.

"Jason."


	9. A Pair Of StarCross'd Lovers

**A/N: Thank you thank you to those who've reviewed. It's great to know this is still being read after such a long break (I figured you guys might've gotten bored of it). This one's kind of an emotional rollercoaster. If you're first impression is that Rachel's overreacting, please keep in mind that...she's a teenager who's put her heart on the line. This is how us teenagers react =P Hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Covenant, or Romeo and Juliet.**

**IN MY DREAMS  
**

CHAPTER NINE – A PAIR OF STAR-CROSS'D LOVERS

Inside, Rachel was falling apart. Every emotion she had felt in the past two weeks rushed through her. Her confusion was battling with relief. Happiness and regret were winning over anger. Fear for what he'd say, for what she might do now, coursed through her. A longing that she'd been denying came back full steam.

"Rachel, how've you been?"

_Of course_. It was just like him to make everything casual, as if the last four years of their lives had never happened. She could feel her heart breaking all over again. It felt the just the same as if it were all happening all over again.

"Fantastic," she said forcefully. She could hear the footsteps of bar patrons leaving Nicky's and so she continued down the side alley, with both the car park and the back alley in sight.

"Rachel, I've missed you." Shivers ran through her and she trembled. Her anger melted away completely; regret and sadness shone through. "I can't stop thinking about you. I wish you'd never left. I wish you were here with me now."

She couldn't walk anymore. Trash cans and cases of beer surrounded her. He was sucking her back in, and there was nothing she could do to stop him. Rachel had always been powerless to Jason Richards.

"What do you want?" she managed. Tears were slipping down her cheeks silently. She tried to blink them away, but they kept coming, faster and faster. It was painful to talk, her throat hurt just swallowing.

"I want you to forgive me. I'm sorry for everything. You deserved better than that." He was pleading.

Silence. She'd start sobbing soon, she could feel it in her chest.

"I love you Rachel."

Her breath skipped and she hung up. Of course he loved her, because she still loved him. No matter how often she told herself it wasn't true, no matter how much she denied it, it _was_ true. He was her first love, her first kiss, her first _time_. He'd been her entire world, and time and time again, he'd shatter her.

She let him in further than anyone else in her life and he'd thrown it back in her face. It wasn't just the cheating; it was the betrayal, the lies, the fighting, the abuse. He'd never been there when she needed him, only when he wanted something from her.

Rachel stood in the back alley of Nicky's, clinging to the high chain-link fence, sobbing. Every part of her hurt, her chest throbbed. Her shoulder ached even more than it did a minute ago.

--

_Where wa__s she?_ Reid scanned the parking lot from the patio but couldn't make out anything more than a few vague shadows between the cars. Not enough to go in and investigate.

"Reid."

He shut his eyes, sighing in exasperation. Caleb had followed him out. Why couldn't he just leave him alone? Was it so difficult to just let him live his own life? Didn't Caleb have a life of his own?

"What is it now?" Reid turned around, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Reid tensed, annoyed. With that annoyance, came a sudden burst of temptation. The urge to Use prickled at his fingertips.

"I told you, I'm just getting some fresh air. Clearing my head." He shrugged, suppressing his tone and making it sound casual.

Caleb shot him a look: _do I look that stupid?_ Reid smirked in response.

"And I told you to stay away from her."

"I'm not Pogue, I don't do everything you say." His frustration and annoyance battled against each other. The heat at his fingertips climbed to his palms. In the old days, Reid would have Used, just to prove a point to Caleb. But things weren't so simple now.

"With everything going on at the moment, I thought you'd want to lay low." Caleb glared at him. "Going off and flirting with Aaron Abbott's _sister_ is not laying low."

"Why does it even matter to you?" Reid cried. But he knew why is mattered to him: everything he did mattered to Caleb. Because they were like brothers. If Caleb was in trouble, Reid would put himself out on the line to make sure he was okay too. But the pressure was getting to him.

The two Sons stared each other down for a few moments. Caleb looked determined, Reid defiant.

"I know what you're like with girls, Reid," Caleb said in a very matter-of-fact tone. This wasn't an emotional outburst, it was advice. "If you do that to Rachel, Abbott will skin you alive."

"Just drop it, okay?" Reid growled. "I'm not even interested in her."

Caleb raised an eyebrow. He didn't believe him.

"Caleb!" Sarah was standing at the doorway. Both boys looked up when she called out. "Our song." Faintly, Reid could hear a new, faster beat breaking through the noisy crowd.

Caleb nodded at her with a smile before turning back to his fellow Son. "Two things, Reid: stay away from her, and don't Use." Caleb turned around and was inside Nicky's before a second passed.

Reid curled his hands into fists, wanting very dearly to hit something. Or to Use… It came bubbling to the surface again. Hot and cold at the same time, fizzling so close to his skin he could almost feel it burning. It would be so easy. He felt his eyes go cool, turn black. He was shaking. It was time to Use. He couldn't let it simmer anymore.

--

It took Rachel minutes to calm down again. She gripped her fingers as tight as she could around her cell phone. Nothing in the world felt right. Everything was collapsing in on her and all she could think about was how painful it was. It felt as if nothing would ever be okay again.

Jason was a bad person. He wasn't stable, he wasn't a good boyfriend. But she loved him.

_You need to calm down_. Rachel slowed her breathing and wiped her face with her hands. She'd look like a complete wreck going back in now. But what choice did she—

"_Why does it even matter to you?"_

That was Reid's voice. Rachel swallowed, gaining control of herself again, and followed the voice. He was talking to someone, but she couldn't make out what they were talking about. She moved slowly, grimacing when she could hear her shoes thumping softly against the wooden floorboards. If she moved any faster, she'd be too loud and almost definitely caught out.

She reached the corner and clung to it, peeking around to see Reid talking to Caleb. Or, perhaps, arguing with him.

"_Two things, Reid: stay away from her, and don't Use."_

Caleb pushed passed Reid to return to the bar and Rachel pulled back, afraid he'd spot her. Silence. She held her breath and counted to ten silently. When she peeked again, she saw Reid standing alone with his back facing her. His shoulders were hunched.

Rachel couldn't tell from where she stood, but it seemed as if he were doing something. What had Caleb said? _…don't Use…_ Use? Use what? Why couldn't these boys just speak like normal people? She took a step forward, wincing when a floorboard creaked underfoot.

Reid jolted and something in front of him dropped to the ground. _What was he doing?_ Rachel moved forward and Reid turned around, his eyes blazing. For a second, no, less than a second, she thought that maybe they were different. But she blinked, and they were the same icy blue colour they'd always been. She shook her head slightly. It was just the poor lighting.

He glared at her as she twisted to see what was behind him.

"What was that?" she demanded.

Reid stepped forward, blocking her view completely. "Nothing," he muttered. He looked serious, a rare sight for Rachel. She frowned and tried to move around him, to see what was really going on. Before she could take a second step, Reid had taken a hold of her arm and forced her back.

"Hey!" she called out, snatching her arm away. "What the hell are you doing here?" It must've been serious, if he was desperate enough to hide it from her like that.

"What's it matter to you?" Reid growled.

Rachel raised her eyebrows, stepping forward again, challenging him to grab her again. The two glared at each other until Rachel felt uncomfortable enough to pull back. Why had she even bothered? Her life was going so terribly lately, why did she think Reid Garwin would give her any sympathy?

Reid seemed to shake, and he closed his eyes. She watched him, worried about what he'd do now. Was he the violent type? Rachel knew he had a temper, but he'd never actually—

"What're _you_ doing out here?" he asked, opening his eyes. Just blue.

She looked down at her feet, shaking her head. For a long moment, neither said a word. Rachel could feel tremors in her chest, threatening to turn into sobs. She kept her head down, shut her eyes and took in a deep breath. _Calm down._ She couldn't break down in front of Reid.

When she looked back up, Reid's expression had changed. He still looked angry, but maybe not at her.

"You look upset," he said softly.

Rachel shook her head, frowning. Anger flared and her patience was gone. "What's it to _you_?" Pushing passed him, she returned to the bar, finding Aaron easily and heading straight for him. She didn't look back once. She didn't want anything to do with Reid Garwin.

"Rachel, what's wrong?" Aaron asked immediately, straightening from his shot. She just shook her head wordlessly.

"Can we go back to the dorms?"


	10. Makes Civil Hands Unclean

**A/N: Thank you to those who reviewed! Hope you guys enjoy this update. Oh, and I've been really clean in terms of language before this chapter. I'm not saying this chapter has a lot of swearing, but a few here and there. I figured a warning couldn't hurt. I haven't started writing it yet, but the next chapter should be more interesting than this one, I know chapter ten's a little dry.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Covenant. I don't own Romeo and Juliet.**

**IN MY DREAMS  
**

CHAPTER TEN – MAKES CIVIL HANDS UNCLEAN

"Abbott! What're you doing here?" I'd just gotten back from class. Maybe. I didn't remember being in American Lit, but the vague impression I got was that I was supposed to be there – so I must have been. Past and present all seemed to be rather hazy at the moment.

Aaron Abbott was in my room. What the hell was he doing here? I moved forward, about to grab him by the collar, but I never quite got there.

His face contorted in anger and hate, and then heat and pain exploded at my navel. I looked down, and Abbott was pulling a knife from my gut. The son of a bitch had stabbed me.

"Stay away from my sister." And then he was gone.

I could barely see. Pain. Blood. _Goddamnit_. I fell to the ground, pain exploding at my knees, and clutched my stomach. Blood was everywhere. Everything I touched turned red. My hands began to shake, my chest convulsing, and I groaned.

"Fuck." I closed my eyes and clenched my jaw shut. When my eyes opened again, they were black. Within a matter of seconds, the wound closed up. Not even a scar was left.

--

Reid jolted awake, almost crying out. He blinked several times before sitting up and pulling his sheets back. _Nothing_. No blood, no torn clothing, no pain. That was weird. He'd woken up to flooded bathrooms, shattered windows, and slamming doors, but the one dream that had actually scared him…and nothing.

He spent most of his day zoned out more than usual. All Reid could think about was his dream. _Stay away from my sister._

Maybe Caleb was right. Maybe Rachel was more trouble than she seemed.

"So where's Caleb?" Kate asked, sitting down between Pogue and Sarah and squeezing in her tray of pasta and salad between theirs. By the time lunch period started, Reid had practically slept through his day.

Sarah shrugged, opening her can of Coke. "He needed to help his mom with something. Said he was going to be back by next period." Reid and Tyler sat across from them, digging into their lunch.

"So you're going to the Winter Formal with Caleb, right?"

Sarah nodded. "Yeah. Maybe we'll actually get to go to this one." Ah, the Fall Fest. That felt like a lifetime ago.

"We should go dress shopping…"

Reid looked around, trying to seem as casual as possible. _She_ wasn't here. She usually sat with that Snider kid, but the Junior nerd table was all-male this time. Why did Josh bother him so much? Reid had never actually spoken to the guy. The only time Reid had actually noticed him was when he was hanging all over Rachel.

"Hey, check out that Rachel chick," Tyler said. The entire table turned in the direction he had gestured to. Reid startled, pulling back from the table and knocking his fork to the ground in the process. It clattered noisily against the wooden floorboards, but only his table seemed to notice.

They all turned from Rachel, to Reid. Tyler and Pogue looked shocked and confused, but Sarah and Kate smiled mischievously. The two girls shared a glance, as if they knew something the others didn't. Reid frowned, bending down to pick the fork up and straightened just in time to see the girls turning their attention back to Rachel.

"What?" Reid muttered. He glanced sideways at Tyler. How had he been able to find Rachel so easily?

"Uh," his friend glanced back and forth between Rachel's table and his own. "I just meant that she was sitting by herself."

"Usually she sits with Aaron, right?" Sarah said.

"Yeah," Kate nodded. "Or with Kira's little brother."

"Who cares," Reid muttered, tossing his fork to the middle of the table and digging into his lunch with a spoon. Kate and Sarah smiled again.

"She looks kind of down," Sarah observed. Reid was the only one at their table who wasn't staring at Rachel now. He forced himself to concentrate on his lunch. After what had happened over the weekend, Reid couldn't quite bring himself to risk making eye contact with her.

Reid cursed himself silently. He'd Used this weekend – properly, that is. All he'd done was levitate a trashcan. He was just going to hurl it across the alley, maybe dent Abbott's car and make some noise. Random violence to soothe his nerves. But he'd been interrupted by Rachel, and she'd almost caught him.

So instead of lying and brushing her off, he'd grabbed her. Attacked her, almost. What had he been thinking? But of course, he _hadn't_ been thinking. Reid was just riled up because of Caleb, and at himself for actually giving into temptation. And now Rachel was suspicious. And Reid was in big trouble.

"We should invite her out shopping with us," Sarah suggested to Kate. "What do you think?"

Her friend nodded, agreeing silently.

"I think you should just leave her alone," Reid growled. He stood up, dumped his tray in the garbage and left the dining hall in a huff.

--

"Rachel!"

She looked up, regretting it when she saw who was approaching her. "Hey Aaron." For a few minutes, they walked in silence, climbing the stairs to her floor.

"So are you okay?"

Rachel sighed. Over the weekend, Aaron or Josh had taken turns watching her carefully, always lingering around her. She'd been quiet and unresponsive, never saying more than a few words at a time. Finally they sent Kira in to talk to her, but not even girl talk could lighten Rachel's mood.

"Fine, Aaron."

He considered this for a second, and then his expression darkened. "Does this have anything to do with Garwin?"

They reached her dorm, entering without pausing. "Reid? No. Why?" What did Aaron know about her and Reid? Not that there was anything to know. Just a few weird looks and a strange conversation outside of Nicky's.

"Josh said he was looking at you funny the other night." In the fluorescent lighting of Rachel's dorm room, the angles of Aaron's face looked much harsher than usual. He didn't seem pleased at all. "He didn't try anything, did he?"

Rachel paused, raising an eyebrow at her stepbrother. "Reid Garwin would have to be going through a serious dry spell to be interested in me." She turned around and pulled off her blazer and vest. "Besides, I've got enough problems without having to deal with jackasses like him."

Aaron narrowed his eyes. "What's going on with you, Rachel?" She exchanged her pleated skirt for a pair of jeans, and began searching through her wardrobe for a shirt.

"It's nothing."

He just stared at her, waiting. _Relentless_. They really could've been related.

"Just a guy, back in California."

"And he's been bothering you?" Aaron asked immediately. He'd caught onto the big-brother role quickly.

Rachel shook her head and shrugged at the same time. "We used to be together, and now we're not. Because I'm here." Technically it was true.

"And you miss him," Aaron stated. "So why don't you go visit him during the winter break? It's in a few weeks."

Rachel swallowed. "That would be a bad idea." Her voice shook. For a long time Aaron just sat there, on the end of her bed, watching her. Rachel could almost feel his brain working overtime.

"He didn't treat you right," he said finally.

She was silent, frozen. Aaron glared down at his hands. Rachel wasn't quite sure what was going through his mind, but it couldn't have been anything pleasant. A knock sounded at the door. Rachel slipped on a tank top quickly and went to open the door.

Sarah and Kate stood there; all smiles and girly excitement.

"Hi," she greeted tentatively. The two girls bubbled with energy, and Rachel didn't seem to have any nowadays.

Kate began talking immediately. "So you know the Winter Formal's coming up, right? Sarah and I were gonna go into town and go dress shopping."

"Oh," Rachel murmured. She glanced back at Aaron. He was staring at the two girls, not quite noticing them. He seemed preoccupied.

"You wanna come?" Sarah asked jovially. Neither she nor her friend noticed the tension in the dorm.

"Oh." Rachel could hear Aaron standing up. "I wasn't even going to go to the Formal. Plus, dresses are kind of expensive." Back home in California, this statement would have been accepted with ease. Her friends would have simply suggested window shopping, or raiding their old wardrobes for something to wear. But here, standing in a Spenser dorm room with two of the richest people in Ipswich, Rachel couldn't help but feel embarrassed.

"Here." Aaron shoved a shiny black card under her nose. Rachel began to shake her head. She couldn't take his money. "It's Dad's," he explained. "A dress wouldn't even dent it. The last thing I bought with it was a new sound system for my car."

Rachel's dark hazel eyes flickered from the card, to the possibility of new friends standing before her.

"Come," Sarah urged. "Please."

Rachel didn't know why, but her stepbrother seemed just as enthused for her to go shopping as the girls were. So she pocketed her stepfather's charge card, grabbed her jacket, and followed them out to Sarah's car.


	11. In Fair Verona

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews =] I'm really starting to get back into writing this, much fun to be had. Oh, and I lied last time. This chapter isn't the big action one, it's leading up to some big drama in chapter twelve. Granted, this one has some interesting revelation type things going on. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Covenant/Romeo and Juliet don't belong to me. As you guys already know.**

**IN MY DREAMS  
**

CHAPTER ELEVEN – IN FAIR VERONA

For the first time since coming to Ipswich, Rachel had actually had fun. Spending the afternoon with Kate and Sarah had been filled with the kinds of things she used to do with her friends back in California. There was giggling, flirting with the Starbucks guy, gossiping about the boys at school, and sharing fun lighthearted anecdotes. It felt so good to have something like this distract her from everything else that was going on in her life.

"Rachel, the dress you bought was stunning!" Kate exclaimed as the three girls clamoured up the stairs. Weighed down by shopping bags, they made their way up to Rachel's dorm – it was closer than Sarah and Kate's.

The younger girl smiled. Kate was right. The dress that Rachel had charged to her stepfather's account was ten times more glamorous than anything she'd ever owned in her life. Much more flattering than the brilliant orange gown her mother had bought her to wear to the wedding.

The girls reached her dorm room and fell onto the bed, exhausted from the day of shopping.

"You _have _to try it on," Sarah said.

Rachel chuckled. "I already did in the store."

Kate rolled her eyes. "No, you have to try it on with the shoes we bought. And with the earrings."

Before Rachel could protest, Sarah pulled her dress from one of the shopping bags, pushing it into Rachel's arms and shoved her into the bathroom. She sighed, wondering what she'd gotten herself into. Sarah and Kate were incredibly sweet girls, but they were rather pushy. And more than once, Sarah had mentioned Reid that afternoon. Rachel had tried to ignore it as best she could, but something in the back of her mind told her that Sarah had ulterior motives.

As she was fastening up the back of the gown, Rachel heard a knock at the door. She adjusted the dress around her and stepped out of the bathroom, only to find that the door to her dorm was open. And there stood Josh Snider.

His light eyes went to her immediately and his jaw dropped. "Wow."

Rachel couldn't help but smile and blush; this innocent kind of attention was always flattering. But Sarah and Kate didn't look as pleased.

"I thought you didn't want to go to the dance," Josh said. Rachel just shrugged, feeling more and more self conscious.

"You know, we should get going," Kate said. Sarah looked a little reluctant to leave, but eventually the two girls left with their own purchases.

"So who are you going with?" Josh asked once they were alone.

Rachel stood at the doorway of her bathroom awkwardly. Her fingers played with the soft, gauzy skirts of her gown. "I'm not going with anyone." _Mistake_. That was a mistake. She knew it as soon as she'd said it.

Josh's face lit up. "Go with me."

"Oh, Josh, I—"

"As friends," he amended quickly. "Aaron mentioned something before about you dealing with a bad ex. Actually, he said that if I did anything, he'd break my kneecaps," Josh added with a chuckle. "But it'd be nice to go there together as friends. We could make fun of the bad dancing together, and try to stop Aaron from spiking the punch."

Rachel laughed. She could actually picture that. The Winter Formal might not be so bad after all.

--

"Tonight is going to suck," Reid muttered to himself. He threw his suit jacket over his shirt, opting against a tie as he usually did.

"No it's not," Tyler said with a sigh. He was standing in the bathroom with the door open, fixing his tie. He turned to Reid, who sat down on the edge of his bed. "It'll be like every other social Spenser puts on. You'll dance with girls, spike the punch and then get into a fight with Abbott."

Reid rolled his eyes at his friend.

"Every time, man," Tyler said. He closed the bathroom door behind him, and grabbed his jacket and his keys. "Let's go."

The Winter Formal was being held in Spenser's ballroom. The ballroom was reserved for special events, parents' days and awards nights. Tonight, every inch of it was decorated with white and gold balloons, streamers and confetti. The junior class really outdid themselves this year.

Reid couldn't help himself. As soon as he entered the ballroom, he immediately began searching for Rachel. It had become a bad habit. He'd never admit it to anyone, but he was a little excited to see what she looked like.

He had only ever seen Rachel in extremely modest clothes. She was either in her uniform, or in those damned blouses that she loved to wear to Nicky's. Both Sarah and Kate had raved on and on about how stunning Rachel looked in her dress.

And when Reid saw her, something changed. He couldn't explain it, he didn't even know what it was, but something went off inside him. Similar to desire, but touched with regret and warmth. What had he been doing these past few weeks?

She was beautiful. The dress she wore was green and it showed off her shoulders. Reid had never realized how pale her skin was until then. Or how smooth and shiny and dark her hair was. Or how her eyes, a strange colour that was almost green and almost brown, lit up when she smiled.

Reid blinked and the moment was over. Standing beside her was Josh. Reid's mood darkened immediately. Neither Kate nor Sarah had mentioned that Rachel had a date. Anger and embarrassment flared in him. He'd been right: tonight was going to suck.

--

"You look great, by the way." Josh bent down to whisper in Rachel's ear.

Despite the awkwardness of the situation, she thanked him. She _felt_ great, physically anyway. Her dress, from a local designer that Kate loved, was emerald green. It was strapless, with an almost Grecian feel. Rachel felt incredible in it. And the silver earrings and smoky green eye shadow only helped.

"Oh look, there's Kate and Pogue." She grabbed Josh's hand without thinking. "Come on." Rachel pulled him through the crowd.

"Hey!" Kate greeted her with a hug, and Josh with a smile. "Rachel you look amazing."

Rachel grinned. Tonight might just be enough to help her forget about Jason. "Compared to you, I look like a lampshade," she laughed. "You look fantastic."

"I know, right?" Pogue said, kissing his girlfriend on the cheek. Kate was wearing a stunning dark gold and black gown. Everything about her was sexy, powerful and elegant, all at the same time. Rachel envied her; she knew she could never pull off a look like that.

"Where's Sarah?" Rachel asked, glancing around.

"Dancing with Caleb." Kate pointed towards the crowd. Rachel glanced over at the dance floor and found them immediately. It was hard to miss either. Caleb was a little taller than most of the other guys there, and Sarah was absolutely gorgeous in her dark blue empire line dress. But Rachel noticed something else about them.

They were slow dancing, despite the upbeat tempo of the song that rang out over the ballroom. They were completely oblivious to what was going on around them; they just stared at each other, swaying back and forth slowly.

Rachel watched in awe. They were so in love with each other. Even from the long distance, she could see it in their eyes. This moment must have been perfect for them. It must have felt amazing. Rachel couldn't help but think, again, of Jason. How many times had she felt like that? That nothing could ever hurt her, because he was there. That everything in the world was good and warm and light, because he held her in his arms.

Caleb dipped his head down to kiss Sarah, and Rachel looked away quickly. All the trouble that she'd gone through, all the crappiness that she'd had to deal with…was it worth it? To have someone she could depend on like that, to love like that, could it ever make everything okay?

"Rachel?" Josh nudged her slightly.

She snapped back to their little group. They'd been joined by Tyler, who looked just as dashing as the other guys in his suit. Rachel smiled at him in greeting, and he smiled back.

For a moment, the group was silent. There was a strange awkward tension hanging over them. Rachel couldn't bring herself to speak; she was still trapped in her own thoughts. Pogue and Kate were too caught up with each other. Tyler and Josh barely knew each other. They just glanced around the group.

"I…" Rachel tried to speak. But there was nothing. All she could think about was Sarah and Caleb, and Reid, and Josh. And Jason. What was she doing? "I'm going to go to the ladies' room." She left before the others could respond.

She needed to be alone for a minute. She needed to get away from all the couples, away from the memories. Rachel was feeling anxious again. This whole night was a bad idea. Coming with Josh was even worse. How could she have been so stupid?

Things were feeling a little too close now. All around her, Rachel could see couples dancing and laughing together. She needed to get out. She needed fresh air.

She turned towards one of the open doors and bumped into the one person who seemed to dispel her anxiety with just one look.

**A/N: I get a little pedantic, and like to have something to refer to when I'm describing things, so there are some links up on my profile for Kate's, Sarah's, and Rachel's formal dresses. Oh, and please review =]**


	12. Break To New Mutiny

**A/N: Thank you to those who reviewed =] you guys make writing this fun. That said, this chapter was a dream to write. Everything about it was fun...to write. I hope you guys enjoy reading it just as much. Please review! It would mean a lot (even from those readers who don't usually review) if I got feedback on this chapter. Alot of figurative blood, sweat and tears went into it.**

**Disclaimer: Covenant and Romeo & Juliet belong to...I dunno, Shakespeare or something.**

**IN MY DREAMS  
**

CHAPTER TWELVE – BREAK TO NEW MUTINY

As soon as Rachel's eyes caught Reid's, her anxiety turned into exasperation. All she had wanted was a nice night out, to get dressed up and to dance with friends. Was that really too much to ask for?

To her surprise, Reid didn't make a smart remark. He just stared at her. Rachel stared at his shirt buttons until the moment became too uncomfortable.

"What?" she demanded.

He didn't say anything for a while. He just stared. It was almost as if he were trying to decide what to say. "I thought you'd be hanging around your date all night," Reid said finally. His tone was nasty, it was almost a sneer.

Rachel narrowed her eyes at him. Her strange mood was getting worse. Whenever she was around Reid there was always something happening. Why was he so antagonistic towards her? What had she done to him? Perhaps it was just because she was Aaron's stepsister. Did their childish rivalry run that deep?

"Leave me alone, Reid," Rachel muttered during a pause in the music. She turned to leave, to look for a different exit to escape, but a hand clamped around her arm. Reid spun her around, pulling her closer to him. If the motion hadn't been so confronting, it would have looked as if the two were dancing.

"What is it with you and invading my personal space?" she exclaimed. Rachel tried to pull back, but Reid was still holding onto her.

"What're you doing with Josh?" His voice was serious. It was low, almost soft.

Rachel stopped pulling back. She straightened and glared up at Reid. "Excuse me?" She barely concealed her anger. What the hell was it to Reid who she was with?

The corner of his lips raised in a tiny smirk. He stared down at her intently. "It's obvious you don't even like him. So why are you here with him tonight? Stringing him along like that seems sort of selfish, if you ask me."

Rachel's jaw dropped and she twisted her arm in his grasp, failing to pull free of him once more. "You don't know anything about me. How can you judge me?" she shrieked. The music was so loud that only Reid could hear her. She used her other arm to shove him away and was finally able to take a step back. She rubbed her arm where he'd been holding her.

"And aside from that, it's none of your business who I date!" She'd never really realized how much of a jackass Reid Garwin was before that moment. He just smirked down at her, his eyes shining bright blue from the strobe lights. "You know what, Reid? This whole bad boy image you think makes you so hot is ridiculous. Girls don't find it attractive, they think you're idiotic! You're nothing but a stupid little school bully."

She hadn't yelled that much in a long time. Rachel wasn't very comfortable with confrontations, but after so many weeks of frustration and Reid Garwin, she'd reached her limit. Before she could go on, and before Reid could throw in a retort himself, someone stepped in between them. The movement was so quick it took Rachel a few seconds to realize who it was and what was going on.

Aaron had come out of nowhere. He raised a fist and grabbed Reid's jacket with his other hand. "What the hell do you think you're doing, Garwin?"

Rachel's eyes widened. _Oh crap_. She rushed around her stepbrother, trying to pull him back. "Aaron, stop." With one hand on Aaron's arm and the other on Reid's shoulder, Rachel tried her best to wedge herself between them. No such luck; Aaron simply shrugged her off.

"Mind your own goddamn business, Abbott," Reid growled. He curled his fingers around Aaron's wrist. Rachel watched in awe. Reid must have been stronger than he looked because Aaron immediately let go of his jacket, his face twisting in pain.

_What the..?_

Before Rachel could make another move, Aaron punched Reid in the jaw. She cried out, wincing. It was so much more violent than she'd ever seen on TV or in the movies. There was a real, raw hatred between the two boys.

Reid straightened, ready to retaliate in like, when Caleb rushed up to them and pulled his friend back. "Caleb, get the fuck off me."

Rachel took the chance to step between him and her brother, holding out her hands in warning. "Aaron, stop!" she shrieked. Over his shoulder, she could see Kira and Josh watching the scene with interest and horror. Much of the crowd on the dance floor was doing the same.

Aaron rushed forward again.

"Aaron, cut it out!" Rachel cried. An audience gathered around them, but she wasn't really aware of them. She didn't care who saw her yelling at her brother. "Aaron, I don't need you to do these things. Just stop it."

He was fuming. His hands were still curled into fists, but his attention wavered between Rachel and Reid. "Garwin, lay one more hand on my sister—"

"Stop it," Rachel shrieked over the music. "Aaron, you don't need to protect me. Not like this. I can handle these things myself." She glanced around and was surprised by all the eyes staring at her. Rachel gave Aaron one last glare and stormed off.

She headed in the direction that she'd been initially walking towards. Rachel pushed herself through the crowd and slipped through the door as quickly as she could.

"Whoa!" The sight of Reid Garwin already standing out in the small courtyard had Rachel lurching back, her hand clutched to her chest. How had he gotten out here so quick? He stood a few feet away from her, glaring at the brick wall in front of him.

"What, didn't you get enough in there?" he asked.

Rachel ignored his jab. She moved down the few steps that opened up to the courtyard, and sat at the bottom. She covered her face with her hands and breathed in deeply. Rachel had never done anything like that before. Back in California, the most drama she'd ever dealt with was finding out her boyfriend had cheated on her. The most public thing she'd ever done was bursting into tears in the middle of class.

Back home, Rachel was the quiet one. She spoke up amongst her friends, but never in front of complete strangers. And just now, a moment ago, she screamed her lungs out at her stepbrother. What was going on with her?

When Rachel lowered her hands and opened her eyes, she gasped. Reid was staring at her and now only a few steps away.

"What the hell was that in there?" Rachel demanded. She stared up at him, no longer uncomfortable with the eye contact.

Reid twitched, taking a few more steps forward. Out here, in the cool air of the courtyard, things were different. Inside, Rachel had felt claustrophobic. She could feel people watching her, Josh and Aaron watching her. She could barely breathe in there. But out here, it was just her and Reid.

He sat down next to her, maybe a little too close in her opinion. Rachel could feel warmth radiating from him, his arm barely an inch from hers. "I'm sorry," he said softly. Rachel turned her head to watch his expression. "For in there."

Long pause.

Reid Garwin just apologized. Reid Garwin, Mr High-Almighty, was sitting next to her in a quiet, solemn moment. And Rachel couldn't help but be sucked in.

"Me too," she whispered. She was staring into his eyes and…and was she crazy, but was there something there? He was silent, just sitting there and staring at her.

And she was leaning closer.

_What are you doing?_

Rachel added an inch or two of space between them and blinked. "And I'm sorry for Aaron, too." Reid exhaled. "He shouldn't have done that."

He hitched an eyebrow and leant back, resting her elbows on the step behind him.

"Abbot does what he likes," he said simply. Then he tilted his head to look at her. Everything about him was cocky again. Gone was the nice tender moment. "Just like me."

Rachel didn't know how to react. Reid was like a hormonal pregnant woman. One minute he was fighting with Aaron, the next he was sweet, and the minute after that he was back to his old arrogant self again. Rachel just stared at him, shaking her head.

For a second – a fraction of a second – she thought that something might have actually happened. There'd been a small tinge. There'd been a spark. But now it was gone. Rachel should have known. In fact, she _did_ know. Boys were a bad idea. She would've given anything to be a nun. Or a lesbian.

She stood up and turned on her heel for the door.

"Like I said: idiotic," Rachel called out over her shoulder as she opened the door. Just as she pulled it back, something pushed it closed. Forced it closed. It felt as if someone else had their hand on the door, and just rested all their weight on it. If she'd been less alert, Rachel might have thought it was the wind. But wind didn't feel like that.

"Hey!" She tried the handle again but it was locked. Wind didn't lock doors. Rachel tried it a third time and finally gave up. Something weird was going on.

She turned around and crossed her arms over her chest.

--

What the hell was wrong with him? _I don't like her_.

Reid glared at his hands. She affected him, a little too much. She had him jumping all over the emotional spectrum. Jealousy, anger, defensiveness…temptation. He had let too much happen. Caleb was right: he shouldn't have let it get this far.

And once Reid realized just how far it got, his frustration grew. He'd almost kissed her. And he wanted to. He wanted to kiss Rachel, to touch her hair. He wanted to do all those things that Pogue did for Kate and Caleb did for Sarah. For once, Reid didn't want to be the _idiotic_-loser-bad-boy. He wanted to be the gentleman, to open doors for her and to give her his jacket when it got too cold.

But it all felt too wrong.

And therein lied the confusion.

"_Like I said: idiotic."_

His urge to Use flared and he let it go. Power escaped him and slammed the door shut before Rachel could leave. Slammed it shut and flicked the lock on the other side. And now she was more suspicious than ever.

"Reid?"

He looked up.

"What happened at Nicky's? What were you doing?" She looked so young. Innocent.

Reid couldn't answer. A lie would sound like a lie. And he wasn't going to even consider the truth. Instead, he got up and opened the door without so much as pausing. Holding it open, Reid stood back and gestured for Rachel to enter.


	13. From Forth The Fatal Loins

**A/N: Thank you very much for the reviews. You guys are great =] This chapter was a little harder to write, especially after the last one. So I apologize for the slower pace, but I promise, the chapter after this is when the real action starts. Oh, and sorry for how short it is. I needed this in there so I could get to the meat of the story in the next update. Don't forget to review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Covenant or Romeo and Juliet.**

**IN MY DREAMS  
**

CHAPTER THIRTEEN – FROM FORTH THE FATAL LOINS

_Slam_.

I leapt back from the closed door. I turned around and there was another door. When I tried to open it, it slammed shut too. What was going on? I could hear yelling on the other side of the door, and the voices sounded familiar. I pushed all my weight against the door and slipped in before it slammed shut behind me.

It was the ballroom. Strobe lights, balloons and all. But it was almost empty. Aaron and Reid were fighting again. I ran for them and just as I reached them, it wasn't Aaron who had his hands on Reid's jacket.

It was Josh. He landed a punch and I called out. But they ignored me. I looked around for help and when I turned back, Aaron had taken Reid's place. Aaron shoved Josh back, murderous hate in his eyes.

It was a swirl of confusion. Every time I blinked, they would change. Aaron punching Reid. Reid tackling Josh. Josh knocking into Aaron. Josh's nose bleeding under Reid's palm. It started making me dizzy.

_What…?_

--

Rachel woke up to the sound of banging at her door. No, it was knocking. Someone was knocking at her door. Shaking off the images of Reid with a black eye and busted lip, she slid off her bed and opened the door.

"Hey Rach."

She gave a small smile and stepped back to let Aaron enter. His expression was tense; he looked as if he was concentrating on something especially difficult. He sat down at the end of her bed automatically. Rachel closed the door and leant against it with her arms crossed over her chest. She knew what was coming.

"I'm sorry." He wasn't even looking at her. Rachel had the distinct feeling that the only person Aaron apologized to was his father. He looked up and she arched an eyebrow.

"I mean, I'm not sorry for punching Garwin. I'm never sorry for that, but I'm sorry I upset you. I…" he paused, narrowing his eyes, "I overreacted."

Rachel chuckled and nodded. "You're forgiven." She uncrossed her arms and ran her hands through her hair. "But you can't get all protective-older-brother on me every time I talk to Re—someone." Aaron frowned at her verbal slip. She ignored it. "I grew up as an only child and I can take care of myself. Compared to other guys I knew back in California, Reid's nothing."

Aaron narrowed his eyes. "Rachel, you really should stay away from him." She sighed, stepping forward. Was he even listening? It seemed as if he couldn't get off big-brother mode. "I mean it. Garwin's trouble. Like the rest of his friends." Aaron got up and rubbed her shoulder in a gesture that said, _we're all good now_. He exited, and Rachel was left to ponder what he meant.

--

"Where're you going?" Tyler asked as Reid came into their sleeping quarters from the bathroom fully dressed. The brunette was sitting at his desk, doing homework of all things.

"For a walk," Reid replied. He ignored Tyler's questioning look and left. He'd spent all night thinking about what had happened. He couldn't quite figure Rachel out. As soon as they were alone, she was actually nice. No, not nice, she was soft and light.

He'd sat down next to her and she'd become…vulnerable. She was going to let him in and not yell at him for being an ass, for once. But in two seconds flat, something changed in her eyes. Like she'd woken up, and all of a sudden he was the enemy again. The girl was volatile. But kind of irresistible.

And when Reid fell asleep, he dreamt of that moment on the steps in the courtyard, except the moment played out perfectly. Rachel didn't pull back, she let him kiss her.

When the kiss ended, he could feel power surging through him, and he knew his eyes were black. But she didn't gasp or scream. Rachel just sat there, took a hold of his hand and smiled. And the urge to Use went away.

It had been the first dream Reid had had in a long time that didn't have him worrying about the consequences. But maybe he should have been worried. A shattered window was easy enough to fix. But a complicated relationship was far too much for Reid to handle.

Without thinking, he realized that he was heading towards the ballroom. When he reached it, Reid snuck by the cleaning crew and into the small courtyard.

And there she stood.

"Oh geez, it's you," she muttered. Great, he was the enemy again.

"You can drop the act, you know." Reid couldn't help himself. It was hard to do anything other than tease when he was around her.

"What?"

"I know why you took Josh to the dance."

Rachel stared at him._ Don't push it Garwin._

"You were trying to make me jealous."

She scoffed, and marched over to him. Her dark hazel eyes were wide with fury. "For your information, I went with Josh because he's a good friend. It had nothing to do with you."

Reid smirked. "So, what if I'd asked you to the formal instead? Would you still have gone with him?"

She hesitated. _Perfect._

He chuckled. "So you _are_ interested."

"In your dreams," Rachel sneered. She shoved past him, muttering something that sounded like, "maybe California wasn't so bad." _California?_ What had happened in California?

Reid watched as Rachel turned her back to him. Something wasn't quite right about this picture. And then it hit him. Why hadn't he seen it last night? Reid ran up the stairs and touched a hand to her shoulder.

Rachel flinched and spun around. "What're you doing?"

"Where's your bandage?" he asked. Rachel must have only been hurt two weeks ago. That wasn't enough time for her wound to heal and not leave a trace. He could remember how big the cut was, how much blood there'd been.

Her expression changed from startled and angry to thoughtful.

"What happened to your wound? Did you get the stitches taken out?"

Rachel shook her head. She stared at him, as if something had registered in her thoughts. "I went to sleep the other night last week with the stitches still in, and the wound just starting to close up. When I woke up it was all gone. No blood, no scar."

_Oh, shit._ He'd done it. He'd had that dream about being stabbed by Abbott, and he'd Used to heal a wound. But he hadn't healed himself….he healed _her. _Reid just stood there, his arm outstretched and his jaw dropped, as she turned and left.

_Stay away from my sister._


	14. Of These Two Foes

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews =] Sorry it took me so long to update. I've had some assignments due (with one still to go) and I just caught the flu. Trying to write with a fever is hell. So that's my excuse for the drop in quality for this chapter. Hopefully I'll have recovered for the next chapter, cuz that's when things really heat up. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Covenant. Nor Romeo and Juliet.**

**IN MY DREAMS  
**

CHAPTER FOURTEEN – OF THESE TWO FOES

Reid Garwin knew something. Or he'd done something.

Rachel had no idea what that something was, but she knew he was keeping it a secret and her curiosity wouldn't let her just drop it. She roamed the hallways. Technically she was lost. Rachel had just finished her Monday classes and was looking for her Math professor's office. But, really, what she wanted was to bump into Reid again.

She couldn't pinpoint why, exactly. It was easy to hate him, to argue with him whenever he was around. But something inside her was drawn to him. She wanted to see him, but she couldn't come up with a proper excuse.

Rachel walked by an empty classroom, pausing when she heard a familiar voice.

"You're not being fair to her. Kate deserves to know the truth." It was Sarah. Rachel stepped back, standing by the doorway out of sight but within earshot.

"I can't tell her." _Pogue_. "She'd never look at me the same again." _What was going on?_

"She loves you. It might frighten her a little at first, but she'll get over it."

"I'm not telling her. I'm not putting her in danger." _Danger?_ Rachel held her breath, leaning closer to the door. She could feel excitement bubbling inside.

"What do you mean? I know the truth, and I'm fine."

There was a pause. Rachel wanted to rush in and demand to know what they were talking about. As it was, she stayed still, trying not to make a sound.

"Look, Caleb…he was being really reckless when he told you. He put you in a lot of danger. You could've been killed that night."

Rachel's heart hammered violently. What was going on with these people? Maybe Aaron had been right all along. Sure, they seemed nice on the surface, but who were they really?

"And you'd rather her not know?" Sarah continued. "What happens when the next Chase Collins comes along? Kate will just fall for it all over again, and not even realize that she's making the same mistake."

It sounded as if Pogue was moving to leave. Rachel could hear heavy footsteps on the wooden tiers. She turned to scurry away as well, but Sarah spoke again.

"You know she could find out so easily. All she'd have to do is look up that _Chronicles of Paganism_ book in the library, and really read it this time. If one of you guys slips up in front of her just once…well, she's not completely blind. Wouldn't you rather her find out from you?" Sarah sounded upset. Rachel waited for Pogue's answer but there wasn't one. His footsteps started again and Rachel almost fell over herself trying to get away.

As soon as she found the main hallway, she stopped. _Danger. Killed. Chase Collins. Chronicles of Paganism? Library…_ Before she knew it, Rachel found herself in the library, combing through the high steel bookshelves with a reference number scribbled onto her palm. The title had been easy enough to find in the computer catalogues and within minutes of eavesdropping on their conversation, Rachel had an old brown leather-bound book in her hands.

Sitting crossed legged between two library bookshelves Rachel flipped through page after page of…strangeness. At first it seemed as if the book was just about local history. She'd never been interested in the Salem witch trials before; the only thing she'd heard of it was from watching _The Crucible_ in ninth grade because she didn't want to read the play for Lit.

And she'd been right not to read it. The witch trials history was boring. The _Chronicles_ read endlessly of people who'd been accused of witchcraft and tortured until they confessed. It all seemed kind of repetitive in Rachel's opinion.

She turned the page and blinked. There was a woodcut picture of a scary looking man. The name "John Putnam" was printed beneath it. Rachel skimmed through the passage above it and just found another accusation story. Underneath the caption, however, was something else entirely. Her eyes went straight to the second line: "…Danvers, Sims, Garwin and Parry…"

Garwin? Reid Garwin. And Caleb's last name was Danvers.

Rachel stood up quickly and pushed the book back onto its place in the bookshelves. It was local history. So their families must have lived in Ipswich for generations. What was so wrong about that?

Except some things didn't seem to fit in quite so nicely. The conversation she'd overheard between Sarah and Pogue, for one. They'd spoken as if their big secret was dangerous, as if having anyone find out, even Pogue's girlfriend, would mean a life-or-death situation.

Rachel stared at the brown leather spine for minutes, trying to make sense of her thoughts. _No_. It was just nonsense. It was religious zealots who wanted to make money from men and women who were a little odd. It was over three hundred years ago. And it didn't mean anything. Rachel left the library in a hurry. She felt as if she'd just watched a creepy horror movie and every corner she turned might hold a scary serial killer.

--

"What's wrong now?"

Reid looked up from his dinner plate. He'd shredded his chicken with the back of his fork and stirred it into his mashed potatoes. The whole table looked from Reid to Kate, who'd asked the question.

"Huh?"

"It's about Rachel again, right?" Kate asked. Pogue frowned, glancing back at Reid. The blond boy rolled his eyes.

"No," he said curtly, scooping up the chicken-potato mix onto his fork and stuffing it into his mouth. Sarah winced.

"Rachel, _again_?" Caleb had just found their table, sliding in next to Sarah.

"Hey, what're you doing here?" she asked as he pecked her on the cheek. They'd all been long used to his absence at dinner. Caleb usually spent the evening with his mother and met the group before homeroom began the next day.

"Mom went to sleep early," he said quietly. Reid lowered his eyes. That usually meant Mrs Danvers had gone through an entire bottle of whisky for lunch and hadn't been awake when Caleb got home.

"Well at least you can have dinner with us," Sarah said when no one else spoke. Caleb smiled at her and started his dinner.

"So what's the issue with Rachel now?" he asked.

Kate answered before Reid could dismiss the question. "Reid's still hung up on her."

"I'm _not_ hung up on her," he said moodily. "I was never hung up on her."

"Then you won't care if I said that it's obvious she's into you?" Kate asked, her expression angelic and mock-innocent.

Reid became alert immediately. "What?"

"Oh, yeah," Sarah agreed. "Rachel likes you. She's always looking at you, and after what happened at the dance…I mean, she defended you from Aaron." Caleb, Pogue and Tyler stared at the girls, dumbfounded. They, like Reid, hadn't even realized that Rachel had done that. The boys had simply been focused on the fact that Reid and Rachel had argued. And that Aaron Abbot was, as always, being a jackass.

"So then why is she always so angry?" Reid asked. It seemed every time he spoke to her it ended with her storming off. The girl had a knack for it.

"There's something else going on, obviously," Kate said.

"Maybe she doesn't like blonds," Tyler jested. Pogue and Caleb grinned at the joke but Reid ignored them.

"Something else?"

"Yeah." Sarah nodded. "She's got issues. Like…maybe she's had bad experiences in the past. Or maybe her parents are really strict."

"Maybe she still has a boyfriend from wherever it is she moved from," Pogue suggested.

The table was silent for a minute. Reid frowned down at his half eaten meal. Did Rachel still have a boyfriend? It might make sense. Perhaps that was why she was constantly pushing him away.

"You know," Reid said, "she _did_ say something about California. Like she missed it or something."

"Either way it doesn't matter," Caleb said. "You should stay away from her." Kate looked at him curiously. "It'd only cause more trouble with Aaron."

Reid nodded. He didn't care about Abbott. It didn't matter to him what the guy would do. But there was a different kind of warning in Caleb's eyes. He knew how hard it was for Sarah to keep the secret. And how hard it was for Kate _not_ to know the secret. They'd both been put in a lot of danger since they'd joined the group. Could he really put Rachel in that position?

--

"There you are."

Rachel looked up from the book spines before her. She'd returned to the library after dinner to finish off her Physics assignment. It was almost midnight and she should have had all her work done, but all she'd been able to think about was the _Chronicles_ book.

"Hey Josh."

"It's getting late. Come on."

She shook her head. "I can't. I need to get all this done first." She held up her assignment sheet.

"Do you want me to stay?" he asked.

"No, it's okay. Go get some sleep. I'll see you in homeroom tomorrow." For a second she thought he would protest. But then he just shook his head and waved goodnight. Things had changed between them. Josh was beginning to realize that friendship was the only thing on the table, and he started to relax around her.

Twenty minutes passed silently, and Rachel thought she'd made progress. And then the lightning started.

She ignored it until the thunder came. A loud boom sounded and she jolted, dropping a library book. _Don't be stupid, it's just a storm. _She glanced at one of the large windows and frowned. The trees outside swayed violently and heavy raindrops sounded like bullets as they hit the glass.

_Just rain, _Rachel reminded herself. She returned to the tall bookshelves, a new list of titles in her hands. All of a sudden, she was very aware of how alone she was. She and Josh had been the last in the library, and not it was just her.

As she pulled a book from the shelf, glass shattered. Rachel lurched back, her heart pounding. Peeking around the bookshelf, she saw one of the frosted windows across the library had broken. Shards of glass scattered near the study desks and rain began pouring into the library.

Rachel stood, frozen and staring at the broken window. It wasn't just a normal storm. The wind picked up and papers began flying about. In a matter of minutes, books were being tossed around the large library hall. She couldn't see how it was possible, but it seemed as if the storm had entered the library.

Rain and wind threw the chairs and tables around. More windows shattered. Rachel ran for it. She darted for the bookshelves to retrieve her book bag. A strong gust of wind came, and the tall steel bookcases began to tilt.


End file.
